Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire
by Dr. Scrubs MD
Summary: A new journey. A new beginning. When the worlds are threatened yet again, Sora, Riku and Kairi answer the call. Read and watch as they battle fierce enemies, overcome impossible odds, face impossible foes, and battle the oldest force of Darkness! Even Immortals can fall. Sora x Kairi
1. Chapter 1

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter One: Message in a Bottle

_Dear Sora,_

_It's been 1 month since the fall of Xemnas and Kingdom Hearts, but I'm afraid that peace over the worlds has once again, faded. Worlds are falling back into the familiar darkness, the Heartless. We have no idea whose controlling them, but they are more organized then we've ever seen them before. I'm sorry to have to disturb you so soon, but we need your help once more. I've sent Donald and Goofy to come get you. I don't know when you'll read this, but I hope you can help us._

_ Sincerely, King Mickey Mouse_

The young brown haired boy read the note twice, just to be sure he'd not missed a thing. He closed his blue eyes and sighed deeply, letting his free hand scratch the back of his head and letting the other drop to his side. "Man, doesn't evil ever take a break?" He asked the two people in front of him. One was a tall, silver haired, boy. The other was a short, red haired girl, with dazzling blue eyes.

"Well what did it say Sora?" Asked the girl, turning her head slightly, wearing a confused frown on her face. Sora passed the note to the taller boy sighing again. "Riku let me see!" The girl said to the man, flustered that she had asked, and Riku had received.

"This is odd, why would the Heartless just attack worlds?" Said Riku, frowning in deep thought. The girl snatched the letter out of his hands while he was distracted. "Hey Kairi! Give that back I wasn't done reading yet!" Said Riku, trying to get the paper back.

After 10 seconds of Kairi, moving around, trying to avoid him, stopped and handed him the letter, frowning deeply as well. "That really is odd." She said, placing her hand under her chin, looking down at the ground as though the answer would just magically appear there.

"Well either way, looks like I have really no choice in the matter." Said Sora placing both hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

"Hold on a second Sora. WE have no choice. WE are going TOGETHER." Kairi said, emphasizing "WE" and "TOGETHER" a bit louder than necessary. Sora thought that bringing Kairi would be dangerous, I mean she had next to no training with a her keyblade, and if he brought Riku then who would be here to make sure Kairi would be okay? It was just better if he went with Donald and Goofy.

"Kairi, I can't let you go with me. It's to dangerous, what would happen if you got hurt?" Sora said looking into her eyes.

"Sora, lets make a deal. Kairi and I go with you so you don't get killed out there." Riku said looking at him half amused, half serious.

"What makes you think I'm going out there to die?" Sora said giving his friend an angry stare.

"Because you have no idea whats out there, if these Heartless are more organized then before, that means that whoever is controlling them probably has a plan for if the Keybearer comes into play." Riku said.

"So then why should I bring you two, and not Donald and Goofy?" Sora asked them both.

"Because this is our job to Sora." Said Kairi, slightly hurt that he was seriously trying to leave her behind, yet again.

"All three of us have the keyblade now, its our duty, not just yours, to protect the worlds." Riku said.

"So what about Kairi? She has next to no training with a keyblade." Sora said pointing at Kairi, who just gave him a dirty look.

"Teach her then genius." Riku said smiling.

"Wait what?" Kairi and Sora said together.

"If she can't fight, then teach her how to. Its not rocket science." Riku said laughing at their shocked faces, Sora's mouth was open slightly, Kairi's face was beat red from embarrassment or from anger, Riku couldn't tell. "Well Sora?" Riku said. "Your not going by yourself, not this time, might as well make the best use of your time." Riku said, walking off towards the bridge that led to their hang out, touching both of their shoulders as he passed.

"Hey where are you going?" Sora said as he shook his head, attempting to shake his vision of Kairi training with him. In his head, she was constantly having him hold her hands while trying to preform a simple attack or block. It was good, in his mind anyway, in reality she'd probably slap him for thinking that way.

"It's getting late, and I have to break the news to my mom, so yeah I'm going home. See you two tomorrow." Riku said, not even looking at them. It was then that Kairi was sucked out of her trance, which was oddly similar to Sora's, and looked at Sora with sorrow written across her face. His mother would be devastated when he told her that he had to leave, she had been through a lot these last years with her son being gone, she had been so happy when he had told he was home for good this time. It was going to crush her to know that he had to leave again.

"Kairi, you there? Hello?" Said Sora, waving his hand in front of her face. She jumped a little when he did that, and she saw he smiled his goofy smile that he always smiled.

"Y-yes?" She stuttered, she didn't like being startled, but it took all of her will power not to blush, because she loves his smile.

"You didn't hear me? I said if your going to push going with me, then we should start training right away." Sora said, looking a little concerned.

"Y-yeah sounds great Sora." She said, looking into his eyes. It was odd, she knew he had feelings for her, and she also had feelings for him, but the subject of romance never came up. It was like an unspoken rule, don't talk about your feelings for one another.

"Are you okay?" He asked, then suddenly put a hand on her forehead, which of course caused a blush she had been trying to hide to appear. "You don't have a fever so-" He started to say before she moved his hand from her forehead.

"Lets just get started shall we?" She asked, and before he could answer, the young red head grabbed his hand and set off towards the beach near the docks, Sora blushing the whole way down. Once on the beach, the two stood next to each other staring at the ocean.

"Well, I suppose we should get started." Sora said, as a blinding white light appeared around his hands, and a large white keyblade came into being. The key looked similar to the key "Oathkeeper" but it was longer, and at the end was a heart with three spikes where the key head should be. "Okay Kairi, summon yours." He said, smiling as he placed the weapon on his shoulder.

She looked at the ground slightly embarrassed. "I can't summon my keyblade..." She said after a long pause.

"Sure you can Kairi, it just takes practice." He said as he moved over to her. His keyblade disappeared as he moved. "Now all you have to do Kairi, is focus. The keyblade is there, waiting for you to call it." He said as a different key appeared, this time it was a black menacing looking thing, then it shimmered out of existence and a third key came. This one was white and on the end of the chain was a paupoo fruit. "See, their all waiting to be called, in your mind say its name and it'll come right to you." He said letting this key shimmer away. "Do you know the name of your keyblade?" He asked as she still looked unsure.

"Yes, the Peacekeeper." She said as he watched her.

"Why are you telling me? Say it in your mind, focus on what it looks like, hold your hand out and it should appear." He said, as the first key once more came into existence. She nodded and closed her eyes, hands in front of her, gripping a non-existent blade. _Peacekeeper, _she thought, then something fell into place with her hands. She opened her eyes and saw it. It was a blade with the hilt in the shape of a heart, with flowers at the end of it.

"Great work Kairi!" Said Sora excitedly next to her. She jumped up in excitement and hugged Sora around the neck, dropping the blade as she went. He blushed as his blade once again vanished and hugged her around the waist.

"Thank you so much Sora!" She said as she let him go, bending to pick up her keyblade.

"Alright then Kairi, I'll teach you just one more thing before we head home." He said as he summoned the large white keyblade. "I want you to do three simple swings in quick succession." He said as he turned towards a near by tree. He walked over to it and swung his key to the left hitting the trunk and shaking the whole tree. "1!" He shouted, as he swung the blade above his head and struck the tree again. "2!" He shouted as he then swung the blade to the right. "3!" He shouted as the blade cut the tree clean through, making it fall into the near by pond, close to the "Secret Place" as he and Kairi called it.

"You want me to cut down a tree?" She asked incredulously.

"No Kairi, you'll be swinging at me." He said as he placed his hand behind his head, laughing slightly. She stared at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked him nervously.

"Kairi, I accidentally cut down a tree, I'll be fine." He said as he inspected her face. "You aren't scared are you?" He said teasingly, giving her a face that said 'you can quit if you want to.'

"As if!" She yelled, standing and walking over to him, keyblade in hand. "I'm afraid I'll knock your butt in the water." She said, holding her key in a fighting position.

"Don't be afraid Kai, do it!" He said as he prepared for her on coming attacks. She attacked left, and he easily blocked her. This time above the head, it was like he wasn't trying. Then at the right arm swing she hit his keyblade, and lost her balance, falling into him, and making them both land in the water. They both spat and coughed a bit. "Sorry Sora." She said as she moved the wet hair from her eyes. He wasn't mad, he was just laughing, laughing as though he had just heard the funniest thing in the world. "W-what?" She said uncomfortably when he stopped laughing and smiled at her.

"You did it Kai, you knocked my butt in the water." He said laughing once more. This brought a small smile to her lips, and she laughed along with him.

It was night when they got in the boat that could take them home. Even though it was soaking wet, Sora gave her his jacket. (Authors note: Their wearing KH2 outfits.) and she snuggled into it as he rowed the boat expertly towards the island where their homes resided. She watched as he rowed, she thought it was the sweetest thing. She could help but he refused to let her, claiming "It's the mans job to row the boat, and the woman's to sit there, and get warm." Normally she would have argued, but she was freezing out here, and seeing him do all the work did bring a smile to her lips. After minutes of rowing he looked at her and smiled.

"What?" She said smiling back at him.

"Nothing, just sitting here thinking about how beautiful you look sitting there." He said blushing but still smiling. This was a shocker, she blushed deeply and bowed her head smiling. _He thinks I'm beautiful?_ She thought.

_ Crap, why did I have to say that. _Sora thought as he watched her. _She's probably gonna get mad or something now. _

"Sora?" He heard her voice and woke from his thoughts. "Thanks." She said smiling at him, and even though it was dark, you could see a slight blush.

"Anytime Kairi." He said smiling wide. The rest of the way was a silent one, both looking at each other then turning away. When they landed Sora walked Kairi to her front door.

"This is my stop." She said, turning to face him.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He said, turning to leave.

"Sora!" Kairi said before he got three steps away. As he turned she came up next to him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Sora, for the training and calling me beautiful." She said shyly as she moved back towards her door.

Stunned he said "Anytime Kairi."

"Bye!" She said as she opened the door and closed it behind her.

His mind still processing what happened, he finally snapped out of it and jumped high in the air, first up in the air shouting "YES!" When he landed he walked away touching the spot where she kissed him. "Best night ever." He said as he walked home.

Not a bad first chapter eh? I thought it was rather good. Please do not hesitate to review, I do realize I need work on somethings, and I would love your thoughts and ideas. If you'd like tell me how you think the story should take a turn, what worlds to visit and so on. I will take any and all Ideas into consideration, and if I like them, I will mention you on the top page for the idea. Thanks for reading and hopefully you enjoyed my story.


	2. Chapter 2

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 2: Of Sand and Stars

Sora walked home with a smile plastered on his face, Kairi Haru, had given him a kiss. It was a kiss on the cheek, but a kiss none the less. Sora then began to think of his journey ahead to Disney Castle and what he would find out about these new, more organized, Heartless. This also made Sora frown, how would his mother react to him leaving? When he was a kid, his dad left him and his mother claiming that they were "Holding him back," so it was just him and his mom. Riku had it a little worse, his father passing away before Riku really got a chance to know him, so his mother had it off worse knowing that Riku's father wouldn't return. Then again, Kairi didn't have any family on the island, the mayor allowed Kairi to stay with him until she was 15, then moved her into her own place. So maybe the three of them had it equally bad, maybe that's why they were so close, all had troubled family lives. Sora shook his head in a sort of resigned way, his mother had to understand.

Minutes later he arrived on his front porch, small wooden wind chimes he and his mother used to make tinkling softly in the slight breeze over the islands. Sora let out a huge sigh and opened the door to his home, the smell of food making his mouth water as he stepped in the house. It wasn't a large home, only 3 bedroom, 2 bath, but the second story of the house housed his room and bathroom, it was perfect for the mother and son who lived here. "Mom I'm home." Sora said as he reached to remove his jacket, when he realized he didn't have it on, Kairi still had it. He shrugged as he moved his way to the kitchen where his mother sat, doing one of her favorite past times, crossword puzzles.

She smiled and looked up at her son. "Well," she started. "You, Riku, and Kairi have fun?" She asked as she patted a seat next to her, indicating she wanted him to sit. They had been doing this ever since he got home, she would have him sit down once he got home and tell her more of his adventures and such, never once questioning her son or mocking what he said. She would be terrified of some of the enemies he had faced, other times she laughed at the funny moments, or once nearly cried when he told her he plunged a keyblade into his heart to save Kairi. For more proof, she had him show her the keyblades, she said her favorite was the oathkeeper because "It's just adorable that you would use a weapon that Kairi gave you!" In his mothers words, Sora blushed at that comment. His mother knew he liked Kairi, and always came up with ridiculous ways he could confess his "undying love" for her. His mother always loved a good love story.

"Yeah it was a lot of fun mom." Sora said sitting next to his mother. He knew she saw that there was something he needed to tell her, he and his mother had developed this sort of 6th sense for that. He looked at the bright green eyes his mother had, the way her brown hair hung loosely around her shoulders, laying flat. His mother always told him his eyes and hair style came from his father, which always made Sora feel a little angry that the man who left him and his mother, he most resembled. His mother sat there waiting, and he knew what she was waiting for but instead said "Where did we last we leave off in our story?"

"Your epic tale ended 4 days ago sweetie," his mother started giving him a look of 'you had better tell me what's going on' "and you and I both know you're hiding something, so spill it." His mother said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him an annoyed glance. This made Sora a tad bit nervous, he had no idea which way this conversation would turn. "Well you see," Sora began but instead of speaking, he reached into his pocket to pull out the letter the king sent, mind you it was slightly torn and crumpled, but legible, which was impressive considering it survived being in a pond for at least 5 minutes. He passed the note to her and said "It's better if you read this."

His mother took the note, read it, sighed, read it again, then passed it back to Sora with a look of excitement and sadness. "Son, I'm happy that you have something important in this, or rather, other worlds to do," She began throwing him a small smile. "It makes me jealous that I can't go out and do these amazing things like you. To see whole other worlds. I just wish you could stay home for a longer period of time." She said covering her eyes. Sora knew his mother had promised long ago to never cry after her husband left, but the tears spilled anyway. "But," She said again, and Sora looked into a fire that hadn't been in his mothers eyes since the day he came home. "I know that without you the worlds would stand no chance against the evil. So go out there, kick some butt, and come home again soon okay?" She told him. He smiled and gave her a firm nod and hugged her tightly.

On another part of the island, Kairi sat on her bed, packing. She didn't know when the ship would arrive so she decided to pack early. She looked over at the short sleeved jacket Sora let her wear. She didn't know why she had kept it for the night, she liked the way it felt, or maybe she liked that it was Sora's to begin with, to be honest, Kairi didn't know. She got up and walked over to the jacket. She looked down on it and began to think of Sora again. How Sora had one of his special smiles at the ready anytime she needed one, and although not the best at giving advice, he would always make her feel better when she had a problem. She loved the way his hair was always spiked, even when he swam, which made no sense at all to her, the way his eyes would light up at the sight of her. As far back as she could remember being on the islands, she had feelings for Sora. At first they were the friend stage, then the crush stage, then the "I really like you" stage, and now she was sure she was at the "I love you" stage. She didn't when, or how it happened, but she knew she actually loved Sora. She sighed and folded up the jacket and set it on her desk. "Does he love me? Or am I just some fling?" She asked herself as she sat down again. It was painfully obvious he had feelings for her, yet she hadn't known until she saw the carving of Sora handing the carving her a paupoo fruit. She copleted it by drawing her carving passing over a paupoo to Sora.

She woke from her thoughts as she heard someone knock on her door. She stood up, walked out of her room, walked down the stairs and opened the front door, and who was there? None other than Sora Hikari. She stood there shocked, Sora at her home, this late at night. "Sora!" She said surprised, of course it was him. "What are you doing here?" She asked him looking at the ground blushing only slightly from the look he gave her. It was a warm gaze filled with something she couldn't quite point out.

"What do you think Kai?" He asked her as she stepped aside to let him in. She gave him a blank stare. "My jacket." He said, laughing at her looked of surprise yet again. "I kinda need it for tomorrow." He told her, which led to a confused look on her face.

"What's happening tomorrow?" She asked him, putting her hands on her hips, tapping her foot. As most people knew, she didn't like it when she wasn't informed on plans that involved her.

"I can't explain it," He began scratching his head with his left hand, giving her one of his goofy, trademark, smiles. "But I know that tomorrow Donald and Goofy are gonna be here." He said. She gave him a doubtful look, but trusted his intuition, oddly enough he was right about things like this. She nodded her head and turned to walk upstairs to grab his jacket. She could feel his eyes on her, more specifically her butt. She pretended not to notice as she moved thinking to herself. _Even though I love this idiot, every once in a while he has to be a perv. _

Downstairs Sora was mentally kicking himself. _Pervert, if she knew you were looking at her like that she'd kill you. Hard to say I love you when you can't look in her eyes! _Sora hated the hormones that pumped through his body, especially when he thought of Kairi. He normally had them completely under his thumb, which was something he was truly proud of, but once in a while he'd slip up and look at Kairi in, well, a different way. He looked up to see Kairi, holding his jacket, walking down the stairs once more.

"Here you go you lazy bum." She said as she tossed the jacket at him, which he easily caught and put on. "So tomorrow huh?" She asked him, glancing at the clock in her kitchen. 11:34 it read. _Pretty late for him to be out here._ She thought as she looked at the boy again.

"Yeah, can't tell you when, just be at the island tomorrow morning just to be sure." He told her, giving her a goofy smile. She sighed at this. His intuition was dead on for dates, but times, no. She knew he was here for something else, he could have waited for tomorrow to get his jacket back, so obviously that wasn't his main goal.

"What are you really here for?" She asked him kindly, giving him a warm smile. This caught Sora way off guard. He didn't know she saw right through his act, he didn't need his jacket but used it as an excuse to see her. "Well?" She asked again leaning forward a bit still smiling.

"Want to watch the stars with me?" He asked quickly. He didn't know why he was so nervous, he watched the stars at night with her hundreds of times before. Maybe it was because this would be the night before yet another adventure, and also the last time he'd see the stars on his world. Willpower, skill, bonds, and pure luck kept him alive in his adventures. Most times he'd be on what felt like the brink of death in many of his battles. He remembered a battle with a one winged, long sword carrying, psycho warrior that he thought during he might actually die. In the end the warrior by the name of Sephiroth had suddenly stopped fighting. Sora had beaten the warrior, though it had been a very close call. The mans voice still rang in his ears sometimes during a training session with Riku saying "Show me your strength."

"Hello? Earth to Sora?" Kairi said waving a hand in front of his face. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. "You said lets watch the stars, so lets go you lazy bum!" She said, and before he could answer, for the second time that day, she grabbed his hand and led him to the beach, and once again he blushed the whole time she touched his hand. They stood on the beach for minutes, hours? Neither could tell, and although not a word was shared between the two, they still smiled at each other as they watched the stars. "There!" Kairi shouted as a shooting star passed. She closed her eyes and made a wish. _I wish Sora and I could be together. _She thought when she looked over at Sora. "What did you wish for?" She asked him.

"Well to be honest," He started but stopped halfway through to collect his words. "I made a wish, but it already came true." He said smiling. She gave him a confused look, willing him to continue. "I made a wish, but you already came true Kairi." He said smiling a trademark smile. She blushed and smiled back.

"That was really cheesy Sora." She said laughing. "But also the sweetest thing I've ever heard. She looked back up to the skies smiling broadly. _Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be fine with Sora at my side._

Well another chapter is complete, sorry about the wait, I got caught up in some personal issues I don't wish to discuss. Any ways thanks once more for reading, and please do review, I love to hear feed back, it totally makes my day (if it's good anyway) but thank you Lilly-Belle for being my first reviewer! You are my favorite person! So thanks again for reading and I hoped you enjoyed, I'll make sure to update sooner.


	3. Chapter 3

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 3: A Story to Be Told

He watched. He saw everything that needed to be seen through the worlds. He watched the people move about, the laughter, the tears, and it all reminded him of the islands. He stood on the balcony of the small castle world simply known as, The Lookout. As he watched, he noticed that his eyes would always wander back to the small world of Destiny Islands, his home away from home, though it had been 11 years since he stepped foot on it. He watched with pale blue eyes, that used to hold a light deep within, that now lay dormant inside. He wore his favorite red cape over his black armor, it slung easily over his shoulders. He remembered the way his old love would wear it, using it as a coat or a blanket. He closed his eyes slowly, waiting for someone. "I know you're there." He said simply, a bored tone in his words.

The being stepped out of the shadows of the long shadow the castle made on the balcony, moonlight spilling onto the man. He wore a coat similar to the cloaks Organization 13 used to wear, though this was not a long cloak, more like a jacket, with it he wore black pants, two long katanas in the belt. The cloaked figure took two more steps towards the man at the balcony then stopped and tightened the hood that hid his face. "My master would like a word."

"Would he?" The man at the ledge asked, sounding mildly interested. "This would not be the first time your master would like to waste my time. First he sends those Heartless to attempt to capture me, now he tries negotiation. Your master is a fool." He said, opening his eyes and turning to face the hooded figure. "Though I trust you know that I will not speak with him today?"

"Yes," the hooded man began. "I knew it would take more than simple words to get you to agree, though I am not foolish enough to attack you. I have seen what you have done to others who have faced you in combat." He said, sounding as though this were the most uninteresting thing he could imagine. "But maybe an offer would suffice."

"What do you and your master have that I could possibly want?" The man at the ledge said, sounding curious. He had all that he had ever wanted, and he left that behind hoping it would leave them be. Hoping beyond hope that it would never haunt his every thought. He was mistaken, it consumed his life now, the Islands that he missed so, and the family he loved. "I have nothing I desire."

"We all have something our hearts desire." The hooded man said. "Sex, power, love, bonds, family, a chance to prove our worth. I desire a purpose worth fighting for, a purpose that I know that when I die, I did what my heart told me to follow." He walked over the man in the cape and stood directly in front of him. The man in the cape was a good 3 inches taller, sanding at 6-3' easily. "You desire the one thing you left behind."

"Tell me," The man in the cape said. "What is it that you hope to find by working for him? You think that is your purpose, to destroy? If so that is a pitiful purpose to live for." He said, scowling down at the shorter man. He wanted to know why after all these years, this mans master would wish to speak to him. It had been 40 years since their last talk, and that ended in the destruction of a world. It was something he regretted every day of his life, thousands of voices, silenced in a single moment. He shuddered at the thought of all the screams, then the absolute silence that followed, you could feel the world as it vanished, feel the pain of it disappearing forever. He wanted to find a way to recover that world, save it from the never ending darkness that had consumed it. He couldn't even remember its name, yet he felt like he owed it to all of the residents to bring them back.

"My purpose is simple." The hooded man said. "To follow my orders. I am the guardian of all my master asks of me, the raven that is his eyes. I am number 6 of the Legion of 7, Raven of the Night." He said. Then he jumped back drawing his swords and throwing them at the man in the cape. The swords flew at him, yet he didn't move, they passed right by his head, never touching, and stuck in the railing. The hooded man stood straight and removed his hood. He had thick midnight black hair, cold deep gray eyes, and a face that showed no emotion, a blank mask.

"You are the number 6?" The man by the ledge asked, removing the two swords next to his head and holding them in his hands. "I would have thought him to send his number 7 instead, not someone as important as you Raven." He said tossing the swords at Ravens feet. "Now I suppose its my turn for an introduction." He said stepping closer. "I have been here from the start of this story, and I will see its end. I have seen the destruction of 10,000 worlds, I have heard the endless screams, I have felt the loss of losing the one you love." He stepped closer and closer to Raven, who was picking up his blades. "I have lived hundreds of years only to find that death will not have me. I have seen the darkest hearts and the hearts with the most light, and I am not impressed. Darkness and Light have no meaning to the balance I wish to keep." He stopped 3 feet away from Raven, who was watching him curiously. The man with the cape raised his right hand, and in it appeared a keyblade! The Kingdom Key. "I was the first to forge the keyblade with the strength of my heart, I was the first to know the pain of losing a world, and I was the first who understood your masters plans. I have worked for darkness and fought for the light, now tell me." He said, pointing the keyblade at Raven. "Are you the one who will end my life?"

"I doubt that seriously." Raven said, sheathing his swords. "But you of all people know that one such as I have no hope of beating you in one on one combat, even three on one is still favored for you." Raven then began to step towards the shadows. "The other three keybladers however," He began, reaching the shadows and disappearing into them. "Are easy pickings, Nathaniel of the Key." And with those words still hanging in the air, Raven was gone. Nathaniel stood silent for a moment, then his keyblade vanishes in a blinding white light, and he returns to his old spot at the railing.

He looks out over the worlds once more his eyes trained on Destiny Islands. "Sora, Kairi, and Riku." He says, gripping the railing tightly with both hands. "Will you be able to finish the story? A story 500 years old? Or will you end up like so many others? Destroyed by the eternal darkness and its master." He then moves away, back towards the castle. "Can you defeat the the king of darkness? Or will his power overcome you, Sora."

Far away on Destiny Islands, Sora lets out a loud sneeze. Riku and Kairi eye him weirdly. "Sorry, someone must be talking about me." Sora said, scratching the back of his head with his left hand. It was a bright morning on the Islands, the morning of Donald and Goofy's arrival. Right now the trio waited on the island where they all used to play as children, and so far there was no sign of them. Riku had suggested Sora train Kairi more, and so Sora and Kairi trained for about an hour, Sora teaching Kairi more attacks and simple, yet effective, blocks. Right now it was 11:30 and Sora and Kairi were taking a break from the practice to sit next to the pool of water, Riku joking about how Kairi was going to be the strongest one among them in a little bit.

"Who would want to talk about you?" Riku asked, giving him a weary look. Riku had a bad night telling his mother about how he was leaving after he promised to stay home. His mother had cried and said how dangerous it was for her son to be wandering worlds fighting evil. After a little bit, she began to support his decision to go, and had helped him pack his things. He felt bad about leaving her alone again, he knew it was hard on her knowing that this might be a journey where he wouldn't return, still there was no stopping him now, he made a promise to protect his friends with all of his heart. "I mean there's no point to talking about someone unless they're either praising or making fun of that person." Riku said smiling at his best friend. "And knowing you, they're probably making fun of you."

"Riku that's not nice." Kairi said laughing. Sora shot her a look of gratitude for sticking up for him. "Though it's probably true." She added giving him a wink. She watched as he slouched giving them both a look of disbelief.

"Oh come on," Sora started. "Give me some more credit than that. I mean, I am the hero of the keyblade." He said hitting his hand against his chest, lifting his head and closing his eyes. All three of them began to laugh at this. It was about a minute of laughing before they heard it, the sound of engines. They looked up to see the Gummi ship holding Donald and Goofy. "Well, this is it." Sora said looking at the ship with a smile on his face. "The start of a new adventure."

"A new foe to be battled." Riku said looking at the ship.

"A new evil to be beaten." Kairi added watching the ship as it docked.

"A new chapter in this never ending story we call life. This is a story that must be told, for the fate of all citizens of every world, lies on the shoulders of you three." Said Nathaniel, in his far off world, smiling. Somehow he knew that this would work out, but even an immortal, can be mistaken.

Well everyone, what do you think? I actually got hit with the inspiration of Nathaniel of the Key yesterday, and I had to write about him. Who is this mysterious King of Darkness? And who are the Legion of 7? What is their goal? Are they somehow connected with these new Heartless, or are they an entirely different threat? Well I guess you'll have to wait on me to find out! Thanks again to Lilly-Belle who has once again been a reviewer, you are still on my list of favorite people! To the rest of you readers (If I have any that is) would it kill you to review? All I want to know is if you like the story or not. Well thanks for reading, I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible!


	4. Chapter 4

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 4: Reunions and Dark Messages

"Sora!" The duo of duck and dog shouted as the Gummi Ship landed. The two then proceeded to tackle to poor brown haired boy to the ground crushing him. As he gave them warm greetings between their loud laughter, they finally let him stand and turned their attention to the other two standing by. "Riku!" Donald quacked as he ran to give a quick hug to the silver haired boy, who easily towered over the duck by at least 4 feet.

"And Kairi to!" Goofy shouted as he ran to give the princess of heart his typical 'Goofy Hugs' as Donald had once called them, warm but bone crushing. "The gangs all here!" Goofy shouted again as he reached Sora, Riku, and Donald and wrapped his long arms around all 4 of his friends, giving a warm clueless smile.

"Hey put me down!" Donald said as he pushed himself away from Goofy, then proceeded to fall flat on his face. More laughter from the rest of the group as Donald muttered random nonsense to himself as he stood up. The group settled as Sora, Riku, and Kairi proceeded to grab their things, which for Sora and Riku was a simple backpack with the necessities, as for Kairi it was 2 suitcases and a small back pack.

"Kairi," Sora began as he hefted the larger of the suitcases to an easy carrying position. "Why did you bring so much?" He asked as the suitcase slipped and landed on his foot. He hopped around on one foot while Riku sighed and picked it up and placed the smaller one on the ground. Kairi giggled at Sora's actions, he had definitely sustained much greater injuries on his many travels. He had showed her a scar on his left shoulder that he had gotten in the fight with Xemnas, and one on the right side of his back on his shoulder blade from some warrior named Sephiroth. Scars were rare with Sora's advanced healing magic, but he liked them, he said that it reminded him of some of his greatest battles.

"You never know what's out there Sora." She said smiling at him as he lifted the smaller one with much more ease, giving her a goofy grin. "The larger suitcase had all my clothes!" She said laughing at Sora's dumfounded expression. She turned and ran to the ship laughing all the way, and after a few seconds, Sora ran that way to. They entered the ship and Kairi was decently shocked at the size. It was spacious, coming with it's own kitchen and living room, and down the hall she saw 3 doors indicating that there was more than one room. "Wow on the outside it looks so small." She said.

"Hey why do we get to ride in style this mission? I mean the last two adventures we had we had that one room, one bath, 3 seating Gummi!" Sora said as he set the stuff down and looked around the large Gummi Ship. He entered the three rooms and came out with a shocked face. "Beds? We actually get beds on this mission?" He asked looking straight at Donald and Goofy, who simply nodded and laughed. "This is going to be awesome!" Sora shouted as he passed by Donald and Goofy to the cockpit of the ship and observed the many flashing lights, buttons, and switches.

"You know how to fly this thing?" Riku asked doubtfully as Sora sat himself down in the captains seat and cracked his knuckles. Sora turned to Riku and gave him look of 'you doubt me' as Sora pressed some of the buttons and flipped some switches and the Gummi Ship rose slowly in the air. "Okay so you can fly a ship, big deal." Riku said as Kairi giggled at Sora who was focusing so hard on trying to get the take off just right.

"Sora!" The duck quacked as he and Goofy ran in and took their seats in the cockpit. "You know you can't fly without us running certain systems!" Donald scolded from his seat to the right of Sora.

"Yeah Sora," Goofy started as he hit some of the buttons. "You need me to run them defense thingy's and Donald to get them maps running." Goofy said matter of factually as he settled in his chair. Riku and Kairi looked at one another then back to the trio sitting in the seats, preparing the ship for take off from their home world of Destiny Islands. Goofy looked back at them, turned to his screens and looked at them once again. "You might wanna find a-" But he was cut off by the take off speed as Riku and Kairi flew back, Riku hitting a wall, Kairi landing on a couch. "Seat." Goofy finished as the ship slowed down once it reached space. Riku groaned from the impact while Kairi looked out the window. She thought it was beautiful, no longer were the stars just points of life but now she could see the worlds that were really there. She had been to other worlds, but never had she seen them the way Sora saw them, through the glass of the Gummi Ship.

After 10 minutes of silent flying, Riku complaining about the spine damage he had suffered, Kairi's oohs and aah's as they passed by some worlds, Donald set the ship into autopilot and sat in a small, yet comfortable couch next to Goofy, while Sora sat on the couch that was next to the window, next to Kairi, Riku stood next to the door to the cockpit looking out at the stars. "So uh, what do we know about the Heartless guys?" Sora asked the duo of duck and dog. Donald and Goofy looked at one another and nodded. Sora leaned in close and Riku and Kairi both turned their attention to the two.

Donald took a deep breath and said "Nothing." Sora, Riku, and Kairi all sighed in unison. "But." Doanld continued as he moved to the table between the group and raised his hands above his head. A puff of smoke appeared, and when it cleared, a man in a dark coat, not unlike an Organization cloak, only smaller, standing in the center of the table. His face was covered, but two large katanas were in his belt. "This guy has been showing up on worlds that vanish." Donald said as he pointed to the image.

"Wait." Sora said as he looked at the man on the table. "Vanishing? Like what happened with the fake Ansem?" Sora asked in actual shock. The worlds had been disappearing his first adventure but he thought all of that had ended with Xehanort's Heartless. Sora was now definitely confused, was this man involved with the Heartless? Why was he wearing an Organization cloak, or a shorter coat? "What's his name."

"He didn't tell us no name." Goofy said scratching his head. "But we was exploring a world that looked like it was gettin' all dark, and we saw him. He said somethin' like 'Well I was waiting for you two fools. A word to the wise, tell your king to bend his knee to the true lord of the universe.' And that's all I can remember." Goofy said shaking his head slowly.

"Goofy!" Donald said shaking his hands. "There was one more part, he said "Prepare your armies for the Legion of 7, we're coming for you." And then he disappeared and we went to tell the king and..." Donald paused, looking rather down. "The world disappeared the next day." He said. The image faded and it was replaced by another image, this time of a man in black armor, wearing a red hood and cape to hide his face. The man looked like a powerful enemy, though this was only an image. "This guy told the king about that world!" Donald yelled as he pointed to the armored man.

"What's his name? Do you know?" Riku asked quickly, hoping to finally get some answers after waiting so long without any. Donald and Goofy shook their heads again. "Great, now how do we know this guy is an ally?" Riku asked the two.

Goofy looked up at him, and pointed to Sora. "He told us that that world would be covered in darkness in two days, and told us to send a letter to the key bearer once we returned." Goofy said. "Then he said to beware the Legion, and this was happening faster than he expected. It didn't make much sense to me." Goofy said shaking his head once more.

"So all we got out of this so far is cryptic messages and no named enemies?" Riku asked, slightly annoyed. Riku preferred to be well informed as to what he would face on a mission, not reaching in the dark for answers. It was what made him an excellent fighter, he knew what to expect in opponents, well unless that opponent was Sora. Sora bested him because Riku underestimated his abilities one to many times and it was his downfall in the end. Not that Riku was truly upset that he had lost the battles, in hindsight he wanted to thank Sora for knocking some sense into him.

"Ah come on Riku." Sora said as he moved to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's more fun to have an adventure with a mystery than all the answers handed to you." He said as he walked to the hall with the rooms down it. "One for each of us I take it?" He asked Donald.

"We already cleared out the rooms, Goofy and I will make sure nothing goes wrong with the ship so we'll sleep out here for the night." Donald yawned as he stretched his arms out. At that Sora took the room at the far end of the hall, Riku in the room right next to his, and Kairi the one right across the hall from Sora.

Kairi looked inside her new room. It was smaller than the one at home but it would do, a bed in the middle, closet at the end of the room, a dresser in front of the bed against the back wall, and to night stands next to her bed. She set her stuff in the closet and changed into her night clothes. As she sat on her bed, starring at her clothing, she thought of the adventure to come. Some guy in armor, another saying something about a Legion of 7. What did that even mean? Legion of 7, legions consisted of large sums of men, not 7. "Tell your king to bend his knee to the true lord of the universe..." She said, pondering its meaning. Who was running the show? She groaned and lay back against the softness of her sheets. _At least it's a queen sized bed._ She thought to herself. She hated small beds, she always ended up on the floor when she slept on them. She lay there, trying to sleep. She didn't know how long she lay there, 30 minutes? An hour? Her thoughts always kept her from sleep. Adventures, battles to be fought, Sora, worries, doubts, Sora, her family, her friends, Sora. It always came back to Sora in her mind. His kind way, blue simmering eyes, hair that defied gravity, just him. "I wish you were here." She said as she lay in her bed. She wanted to feel his arms around her, to at least feel his presence here. She lay quiet, then sleep took the girl.

On the other side of the hall, Sora couldn't sleep. He tried laying down but he couldn't bring himself to sleep. So he did what he always did when he couldn't sleep. He summoned a keyblade and just held it, observing it's every detail. Tonight it was his very first keyblade, the Kingdom Key. He always found an odd connection to this key, Large, bulky, blunt, not at all what he expected the fabled sword to be. Yet he knew there was something about it that was different, this one was special somehow. His thoughts drifted from his keyblade to a certain red haired girl across the hall. Blue eyes, perfect flowing hair, beautiful in every way to him. All he wanted in the world was to hold her and never let her go. He let the keyblade vanish as he rolled over to his door. "I wish you were here." He said to no one. He wanted to hold her, to feel her lips against his. As he lay quiet for a moment, sleep took the boy.

So... This is one late chapter. I didn't mean for it to take this long but I had relationship issues, my brother came to town, I'm getting a job, all sorts of things. So any who, this was actually going to be a short chapter about the bad guys, introducing them. But I'll save that one for another time. You have no idea how long it took to get everything planned out for this, I almost bombed a math test because I was so focused on this story. But everything will now flow smoothly, hopefully, and we can get the ball rolling. Next time on Hearts Desire: The king has some new info, and a new enemy pays a visit to our hero's. How will they face this fearsome warrior from the darkness? I guess you'll have to wait on me!


	5. Chapter 5

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 5: Enter the Legion of 7! The Knife in the Shadows!

"Sora!" Shouted a voice from outside his door. Sora slept soundly however, not showing a sign that he heard anything. "Get up! Hey!" Shouted the voice of Riku, who was at this moment, pounding on the door. Sora stirred but did not rise, he did however place a pillow over his head to drown out the noise. "I'm giving you one more chance to wake up Sora! I'll leave you on this ship!" Riku shouted, that's when Sora awoke. Leave him? Were they there already? He threw the pillow across the room and got dressed as fast as possible.

"Riku wait!" He called out as he opened the door. There stood Riku, impatiently tapping his foot, something was different about him this morning, oddly enough, Riku was an early to rise, late to bed kind of guy. He looked pale and seemed to have a temper this morning, normally Riku wouldn't have pounded on the door, he'd have patiently waited for Sora until 9 a.m. Then woken him up. "You okay?" Sora asked as he walked to his friend.

"Peachy." Riku replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm a little nauseous is all." He said before turning on his heel and toward the door that lead of the ship and headed outside. Sora ran to catch up to his friend. They entered the docking bay, gears were turning slowly, preparing for the day ahead. "Kairi and the others went to the throne room, so we should head there as well." Riku said as he moved quickly to the door. Riku couldn't explain why he felt so sick, it was odd. He felt like every step closer to the castle was slowly making him weaker, more nauseous. He shrugged as he moved, feeling tense and a little cold, which made him really wonder what was wrong, it was at least 80 degrees outside. Deep in thought, he felt Sora grab his shoulder. "What?" Riku asked, annoyed that he was being disturbed.

"We're here Riku." Sora said, pointing to the giant door in front of the two. Sora moved to a smaller, concealed door, and opened it and stepped into the room. Riku followed suit. The throne room was large, about 10 times the size of Sora's house. At the end sat King Mickey on his throne, and Kairi, Doanld and Goofy, all of whom looked rather bored. "Hey!" Sora yelled as he ran over to his friends, wide smile on his face, Riku gave a weak smile and walked towards the group.

"Lazy bum!" Kairi yelled at him, giving him a disapproving look. "You made us wait for 2 hours!" She scolded as Sora scratched his head giving her his 'I'm sorry forgive me' smile. As the two went back and forth, yelling and apologizing, Riku walked toward the king and bowed his head.

"Alright you two that's enough." King Mickey said to Sora and Kairi, who both looked at him. "It's time we get some answers." The king said with a determined look on his face. "We've lost 5 worlds in the past month, all of which have been to the southern area. Small worlds that they thought no would would miss." The King said disgustedly.

"So what do we have on information your majesty?" Sora asked. Mostly he was hoping for something on these 'Legion of 7' guys. If they were connected with the Heartless in anyway, Sora would defeat them at all costs. "Anything on the Legion of 7?" Sora asked hopefully. Truthfully, Sora loved to fight strong opponents, the thrill was awesome. He liked to know that he was stronger than the evil that roamed the universe.

"Some." The King said. "There are seven of them, each is powerful in their own way. The numbers represent power in a way, the number 7 is the weakest among them while the number 1 is the strongest." The king explained.

"Hey! I take offense to that!" A voice shouted from the back of the room. All of the party turned to see a man in black walking toward them. He wore a black raincoat, black gloves, and black army boots. His face was uncovered, showing a young man with short cropped blonde hair, brown eyes that seemed to pierce your soul when he looked at you. He was smiling, walking like he owned the place, he stopped 10 feet away from the group. "Well looks like the gangs all here now." He said eying them all in turn.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked, eying him suspiciously. No one with a heart of darkness could step onto this world, the Cornerstone of Light prevented that. Yet this man seemed different. He gave off the air of a cocky young man.

"You will speak when spoken to girl." He said, giving her a disapproving look. "I'm going to answer your questions in due time." Sora ran at the man, summoning his keyblade. The man gave him a look of doubt and easily side stepped the attack once Sora had reached him.

"You won't speak to Kairi like that!" Sora yelled as he continued to slash at the man, who in turn, dodged each and every attack like he wasn't even attempting to fight back. Sora gave his keyblade a charge of magical energy, and three large white orbs surrounded him, in the intention of injuring the man. The man jumped back several feet from the attack. "She asked who you are, so answer!" Sora shouted.

"The boss was right." The man said, sighing deeply. "You're as stupid and inexperienced as you were 2 years ago. I was hoping you'd be stronger, I mean, your Sora Hikari. You destroyed Organization 13 like you were taking out the trash." The man said. "But you're just some kid with a pretty little sword it seems, however I will humor you." He said raising his head and looking at Sora. "I'll give you my name. I am the shadow that is unseen, the knife that takes your life in your sleep. I am the number 7 of the Legion of 7, the knife in the shadows, Zachariah of the Shadow!" He said throwing his overcoat off, revealing what was hidden underneath. He wore a simple back vest, but attached to the vest, were knives. Two large knives on his belt, on the vest were collections of throwing knives, each looking deadly.

"Your apart of the Legion?" Riku said doubtfully. This man looked like a 20 year old who just learned how to live on his own.

"Yes, you see, to become a Legionary, you must first fill your heart in darkness. Then prove your worth by battling the former Legionary, and killing him. Simple, yet it makes you so much stronger than you'd think." He said, grabbing the two knives on his belt.

"You can't be here!" The King shouted at Zachariah. "Hearts covered in darkness cannot enter this world!" The king said, acting a little surprised himself.

"Oh is that so?" Zachariah asked mockingly. "Is it because of the big, bad, Cornerstone of Light?" He asked again, scratching his chin. "You don't get it do you? I'm not some silly little Heartless that can't keep it up on this world, I am a Legionary. Even I, the number 7, the weakest of the Legion of 7 as you say, can enter this world." He pulled the knives out of his belt and held them in a fighting stance. "Looks like your little stone ain't doing much to make me leave. Face it, you guys are weak, even your ultimate defense can't stop us from entering."

"You think your so tough?" Asked Riku, looking directly into the mans eye's. "I bet I could beat you right here right now." Riku pointed at the man, summoning Way to Dawn and walked slowly over to him, feeling slightly more relaxed with each step closer.

"Pft." Scoffed the Legionary, dropping his guard. "You talk a big game, but here, your about as strong as the little girl over there." He said, pointing to Kairi, who in turn shot him the look of death. "Tell me, how hard is it for you to walk a straight line?" He asked Riku, who was still advancing, preparing for an attack. Riku shot him a surprised look. Was it that obvious that this sickness was getting to him. "Surprised I figured it out? Don't be, I feel the same way." Said Zachariah, giving a disgusted look to the king. "I hate to admit it, but even I'm feeling a bit worn down from the stone, my heart is full of darkness so it effects me slightly different from you. I feel like I'm about to die, you probably feel like throwing up Mr. Istillhavesomelight." He said to Riku in a mocking tone, who did not notice Sora's keyblade smacking him in the back, sending the Legionary a few feet towards Riku, who in turn slashed Zachariah with his keyblade.

"You shouldn't have told us your weakness." Sora told the man, who was now falling backwards because of Riku. "Now you've made yourself a weaker target." At the end of that, Zachariah was laughing, laughing very loudly and annoyingly. Sora shot Kairi an odd look, she returned the look. "What's so funny?" Sora asked. Never had an enemy acted this strange before. First he was bragging about his strength, then speaking of how weak he felt, now he was laughing like a madman.

"I'm sorry." Zachariah said between laughs. "You just said something that cracked me up. "Made yourself a weaker target" that's just hilarious!" He exclaimed. Then he turned to Sora, smiling like a man who was now ready for a fight. "Tell me." He began, then rushed forward, kicking Sora in the gut, sending him flying back 15 feet. "How weak did that feel boy?"

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, attempting to rush to his side when the King stopped her. "Get out of the way your majesty! He's hurt!" She attempted pushing the regal mouse away, but it did not succeed, he held his ground.

"Kairi," Mickey began, look of pure determination on his face. "Sora would kill me if I let you go out there and get hurt. We need to warn the others of this intruder and get them to safety now!" He said now looking to Donald and Goofy. "Help Sora you two." The duo saluted and rushed to aid Sora.

"No!" Sora said, standing up, using his keyblade for support. He felt like a train had hit him, though he had experienced far worse blows from enemies. "Donald, Goofy. Do me a favor and keep Kairi safe. I can handle him." He said, never taking his eyes off of Zachariah. Riku then rushed to his friends side.

"Not alone Sora." Riku said, preparing his fighting stance. "We need to buy some time for the others to escape." He said, looking to the door. It was maybe 20 feet away from Sora and Riku, the others were a solid 40 feet away. "You guys go and get ready to escape, we'll deal with him."

"Yes do leave." Zachariah said, looking at the two keybalders in front of him. "I mean it's not like you'll be much use here anyway. A girl with no training, an idiotic dog with a little shield, a pint sized duck who thinks it's a mage, and a mouse king with a pretty little keyblade. That would have put the odds in your favor for sure." He said, sarcastic tone ringing in his voice. The others then moved to the door. Kairi looked at her friends and looked like she was about to say something before the battle began, but instead shot her friends a look of determination and left without a word.

"You can still run Riku, that is, if you're scared." Sora said, looking to his friend, cocky smile on his face. "Pft keep dreaming." Riku said to his friend. They then looked to their foe. Riku was not sure how much use he'd be in this fight, but he wasn't going to let Sora just fight on his own, and from what Zachariah had said, he was also feeling weakened.

"Enough flirting you two," Zachariah said, taking his fighting pose, large knives at the ready. "Time for you two to learn what true fear and power is." He rushed towards them, meeting their keyblades sending then back, but not knocking them off their feet. Sora broke the guard of Zachariah's left hand at the same time as Riku who broke the right. They swung together Sora going for the body, Riku the head. Zachariah dodged the attacks and met them again, slashing his knives, only meeting keyblades. Zachariah jumped toward them, attempting to slash at their unguarded faces, but only met Sora's keyblade in his chest, sending him upward. He landed between the two, one on each of his sides. Riku looked worn out, yet Sora looked the opposite, fresh and ready to go. "Well, well, well." He said slowly, looking from right to left at the two keybladers. "Do I actually have a challenge?" At that point both keybladers rushed him. He simply tossed his knives in the air and when they came into range, punched Sora in the face and kicked Riku in the side, sending the duo crashing through the giant door and into the court yard.

Zachariah walked to the railing, taking all the time he needed. When he arrived he found Sora and Riku getting up and attempting to get back to fighting. "I thought not."

**Now I know what you're thinking, you are probably thinking that this is very late like I promised it wouldn't be. Well this one is going to be in two parts, the next I will write next week. See I would have been done with this a lot sooner but I got a job, and my hours are killing me. Along with that prom happened. By the way I couldn't go to prom because of work -.- but at least I got this chapter up. Quick preview time. The Cornerstone of light, Zachariah claimed it was useless, but can one person prove him wrong? How can Sora and Riku hope to beat such a powerful opponent? Next time on Hearts Desire, Fury of the Shadow, Rage of the Princess!**


	6. Chapter 6

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 6: Fury of the Shadow, Rage of the Princess!

Zachariah looked down from the railing to his opponents, and was actually mildly surprised they decided to rise again. "Man," he muttered to himself. "Why couldn't they just stay down? I can't waste anymore power or this world might kill me." This was the one thing that troubled him when his Captain sent him here to destroy the keybearers, the fact that if he used to much strength or energy, his heart might be destroyed. He was hoping the spell that surrounded it would hold until the job was complete. _To think my life is being put on the line to test some spell_ he thought to himself. Killing the brats was a bonus, but his boss wanted him to test some spell called Hearts Guard, a spell that could prevent the Cornerstone from killing him once he entered. "When I get back, I'm going to stab number 4." He said to himself, clutching his heart. It was now not just nausea, but now a bad case of heart burn, it seemed the spell was fading faster then expected. "Time to end this you two!" He shouted to the key- bearers, who had seemed to form at battle plan. Zachariah began to select knives from his vest, holding them between his knuckles and took aim. "You see kids, I'm good at close range with knives, but I'm a master at throwing them!" He yelled, throwing all the knives he had between his knuckles.

"Dodge!" Riku shouted as the knives headed right for them. As fast as he was, two knives struck his arm. He grimaced in pain, grabbing the knives and ripping them from his arm causing him blanch in pain. "What the hell?" He said aloud, his arm now hung useless at his side, pain still flaring from his wounds. "Sora are you hit?" He called to his best friend. Sora gave him a stunned look, his leg bleeding from where the knives struck him. "What did you do to us?" Riku yelled to the smirking Legionary.

"A simple poison that paralyzes the body, slowly you won't be able to move at all." Zachariah said matter of factually, readying another round of knives. "To bad you won't live that long!" He yelled tossing more knives at his foe. Riku running off to the left as quick as a flash and Sora dodge rolling out of the way, Zachariah smirked. "Here have another!" He said, now tossing knives with dead on accuracy, aiming more for Riku than Sora, who was only able to use one leg at the moment. "Come on," Zachariah shouted to the young key bearers. "Where are the mighty warriors I was told to fear? Where are the brats who killed off the Organization? Where is the challenge?" He roared down to the two worn down key bladers, who were currently taking cover behind the near by hedges.

"Riku, we can't just dodge him forever." Sora said, ripping a knife from his useless leg, which had been struck three times. "We need a plan." Sora was never one to really fear fighting, but this guy was just killing them in the fight. _This guy is weakened to. _Sora thought. This man was truly powerful considering.

"He's buying time." Riku said suddenly. "Why is he staying up there, when we're back here? He could easily kill us now, so why wait?" Riku asked aloud. It really didn't make sense. This guy was just standing there, waiting for them to pop up again. Riku had thought it over, this guy had said he was weakened by the cornerstone, but couldn't be killed by it. It wasn't possible really, he had to have some light or the cornerstone would just kill him. But he said his heart was engulfed in the darkness. "Darkness cannot beat the light." Riku said suddenly, causing Sora to give him a look of confusion. "He's using something that lets him be on this world, some object he has on him maybe." Riku said, turning to Sora. Nothing he could even fathom made sense, something that faked light? Impossible.

"Hold it right there." Said a voice from the front gate. Riku, Sora, and Zachariah all turned to the new voice. The voice came from a man who stood at 6'3", wearing black armor and a red cape and hood that shrouded his face. The man was large, built like a bull and looked to be as strong as one as well. "Zachariah I presume?" He said to the legionary, who at the moment was watching the man with confusion written all over his face.

"It seems I am at a disadvantage," The young legionary began, looking down at the man, ignoring his prey behind cover. "I do not seem to know your name friend." The armored man looked at the two key bladers and stared for a moment.

"My name is not important. And trust me, I am no friend to the legion of 7." He said, turning back toward Zachariah. "So tell me, have they perfected the Hearts Guard yet? Or have they sent you to die?" This sent Zachariah into a look of pure shock, and before he could ask the question of 'how?' the man responded. "Oh please, you people have been looking to get on this world for the last 30 years, so don't give me that look." He said, an edge of cold malice in his voice. The man turned to Sora and Riku yet again, and snapped his fingers. Sora felt the pain in his leg dissipate and he could once again move it. He looked to Riku to see him moving his arm like it was never injured.

"How did you-" But before Sora could finish, he saw Kairi and the king come from the kings study. "Kairi get away!" He called to her, but to late, Zachariah had already seen and rushed towards her. Faster than the eye could follow, the man in armor reacted, moving from his position on the ground in the garden, to balcony in less than a moments notice, seemingly appearing directly in front of the Legionary. The Legionary stopped 5 feet short of the warrior in armor, anger written across his features.

"How did you do that?" He barked to the warrior. The warrior shrugged and proceeded to turn to the princess of heart. "Hey I'm talking to you! Don't you ignore me like I'm some novice!" He yelled and charged the man. This turned out to be a terrible idea it seemed. The man turned back to the charging fool and punched the air right in front of him. The Legionary flew back from the force of the wind the man's fist had created.

"Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a conversation of this kind of importance? People these days you know?" He asked the princess and king, who both gave him looks of surprise. "Back to what I was going to say, Princess." He continued, leaning down close to Kairi. "You can beat him with absolutely no trouble if you'd like. Sora and Riku aren't powerful enough, especially on this world. But here, now, you are by far the most powerful person here." He said, and even though his face was in shadow, she could feel his eyes on her, watching the reaction she made.

"Me?" She asked incredulously. "No, he's fast and strong and I'm..." She could speak the last words. She was weak, she just couldn't say it. She looked into his hidden face. "I'm just not strong enough." She said to him, a little down cast. She looked past the man to see that Zachariah had resumed his fight with Sora and Riku, who were now fighting on the ground in the gardens, Keyblades clashing against his larger knives. "But they can't always fight alone." She turned to the king. "Your majesty," She began, looking down to the king. "You'll have to find the rest of the people on your own, I'm helping my friends." She said as she ran down the hall towards the near by stair case.

The king reached to stop her, but was blocked by the giant of a man. "No," He said. "She has to do this by herself. The cornerstone shall guide her my old friend." He said. It was proof of how powerful she truly was to rush to help her friends. "Besides, you and I are getting a little to old for this." He said looking down to the mouse king.

"I'll never understand your reasoning Nate." The king murmured to the warrior Nate. "Do you still prefer Nathaniel over Nate?" He asked again to the large knight. Nathaniel shrugged and moved away, shaking his head.

"Just Nathaniel my friend." He said as he moved to the throne room. "Nate was what my wife called me." He said as he disappeared behind the door. He closed the door behind him, then the door shone with the brightest white light and opened once more, but behind it, there was no one.

The fight below was a rough one, Sora was constantly dodging the attacks and barely making any head way in the fight, Riku had to duck out, he was far to exhausted now, laying down and nearly passing out. So it was now Sora versus the Legionary of Shadows. The fight was at a stand still, Sora blocking the attacks and sending power house attacks at Zachariah, who would block and counter almost immediately. _I just need to break his defense! Then he's mine! _Sora thought, that was literally all he needed now, Zachariah was at the end of the rope it seemed. He was breathing harder and harder with each swing, sweating and looking more in pain with every second. When it happened, Zachariah was struck from behind by Kairi and her flowery Keyblade! Zachariah blanched in pain was and jumped over Sora, using the attack as a push to lift himself in the air. He jumped a few feet away, and continued to hop back until he jumped back to his perch on the balcony.

"I've had it!" He shouted to the three key bearers, Riku had rejoined, looking as though he would pass out at any second. "You have tested my patience for far to long! Time for a little darkness to enter the light!" He called below to the three. His body was beginning to become shrouded with darkness, a thin layer, but it covered his whole body. Soon, his eyes turned a deep yellow, much like a heartless, and the knives shone a black purple. "This is my one shot, prepare to face my wrath! Eternity Blades!" He then began to toss his knives from his vest as fast as the eyes could follow, throwing them to fast to dodge. When all the knives were flying towards them, Sora was about to react, when the knives stopped. He looked at this curiously when he looked to Kairi for answers, he saw something different. A light was shining from her, and she looked at Zachariah with pure hatred.

"You," She began, taking a step towards him and the knives moved back as well. "You threatened my friends, injured them, attacked a peaceful world that you have no right to be on." She said, with each word she took a step. Zachariah watched, to stunned to move. "And you think you can win? Pathetic." Kairi finished as she stopped. The knives then turned back, facing their master, and shot at him going even faster than before! Knives penetrated Zachariah at every point they possibly could, his shadows fading off of him slowly, blood dripping from his wounds. Yet he was alive as impossible as it seemed, his face completely uninjured as he used his arms to block.

"Beaten by a young girl with absolutely no training and two fools with keyblades... I think I'm done here." He said as he inched his way away from the group below. "Now how to get out of here?" He asked himself as he continued to move slowly, his own poison effecting him slowly.

"Enough." Said a voice, dark and commanding, coming from the sky. "Zachariah, cease this nonsense immediately, you have failed us. Again." Said the voice, Zachariah looked absolutely terrified, shaking like there was an earthquake right under his feet. "Luckily we are forgiving, you still have some importance to us." Said the voice as a corridor to darkness appeared in front of the downed Legionary, who sighed in relief and dragged himself towards the portal. "Congratulations key-bearers. You've beaten our weakest member on a world where he is handicapped. I'm mildly impressed." The voice said in a bored tone as Zachariah vanished.

"Show yourself!" Sora called to the sky. "Or are you too scared?" He taunted, the voice scoffed at the notion.

"Petrified." It said sarcastically. "If I came to that worthless world, I'd kill you and all inhabitants without breaking a sweat." It claimed. "Know this you fool, you are dealing with matters you have that you have no comprehension of. Cease this fight now, or perish. The choice is yours." The voice said once more. Then silence filled the air once more, life returning to normal at the castle. Sora watched the sky with a look of confusion. Giving up? He would never consider doing something like that, yet that voice sent shivers of... Fear? it had been so long since he had actually felt the emotion and it was alien in his system, he was afraid. He refused to admit it however.

"What did he mean? No comprehension of what?" Sora asked his friends. He turned to see Riku had collapsed and was now starting to have wild spasms and Kairi had passed out. "Riku! Kairi!" Sora shouted as he ran to his friends. Riku's eyes were rolling to the back of his head. "Help!" He called out to no one in particular, just hoping someone would arrive. Moments later, Donald and Goofy arrived and helped move Riku to the Gummi ship docking bay, each step away from the castle made him look better and better. Sora had picked Kairi up bridal style and had moved to the ship at the pace kept by Donald and Goofy. When they arrived the king was moving them into the ship and shut the door. The moment the door sealed, Riku had returned to normal.

"What happened to me?" He asked, starring down at his shaking hands. He looked to the king for answers, the king always had all the answers they needed. The king sat on the large couch and tapped a finger to his chin. "Well. Answer me!" Riku shouted. He wasn't accustomed to not having answers about his well being, and that truly scarred him.

"Well," The king began looking to Riku. "I believe the cornerstone of light was trying to purge your heart of all the remaining darkness left. The closer you were to the stone, the more darkness would be destroyed. This process would have ended up killing you if we hadn't gotten you out of there. I didn't expect you to use that much power so I figured meeting here at the castle would have been the safest place to speak. This is all my fault." The king said sadly, looking to the ground.

"Wait," Sora began, reentering from Kairi's room where he had dropped her off, closing the door as quietly as he could. "Riku could have died right then, Kairi is passed out in her room, your people were nearly killed today, and you didn't plan on anyone showing up?" Sora looked at the king with a mixed look of rage and pain. It hurt him to see his friends in such a condition, all the innocent people who might have been killed, and he could have died if it weren't for the... "The knight!" Sora shouted, causing the inhabitants of the ship to give him a strange look. "Your majesty, do you know who he was?" Sora was actually excited to try to find out more about this knight, he had to be incredibly powerful if he could do that to Zachariah.

"Gosh, it's hard to begin." The king said, happy to be reprieved of Sora's rage for the moment. "I've only ever met him once, and he never gave me a name, just to call him 'the Knight.' When we met he spoke of the keyblade and the first keybearer." The king had to lie to them, they simply weren't ready for the truth of the Knight yet, he had vowed to Nate that his secrets would be kept. It felt like yesterday when Nate had turned up half starved on his world without explanation, begging forgiveness for what he had done.

"Marrick. Please forgive me. It's all my fault. Oh god it's all my fault." He had chanted over and over, while rain poured from the skies, lightning flashed and his screams were drowned by thunder. Whoever Marrick was, Nate seemed to blame himself for whatever had happened to him. That was 12 years ago. Mickey still remembered the tears shining in his blue eyes, which only held a spark of life within them, but they were old eye's, unnaturally old eyes, eye's of a man who had seen great pain and regret and suffering. After the incident that night, Nate seemed closed off, speaking only when spoken to and saluting the king, or prince at the time, anytime he saw him. When asked about his family, he grew cold and replied. "My family is safe now, no more pain."

Mickey never really ever found out about his family until Nate had unexpectedly said "I have a wife you know. Best cook you'd ever meet in your life. Though she does have her downsides, so immersed in her hobbies and her books that I'd basically have to drag her to bed. She loved watching the sun set at the beach though, so I took some time off and bought a house down by the beach, and while she left for work, moved us out and set it up in the new house. You should have seen it your majesty, the look on her face." It was then, Mickey saw the knight smile for the first time. "I have a son too, though I doubt he'll ever remember me. I'm not worth his time, he doesn't need a man like me in his life." He looked a little down then, starring out into the gardens of the castle that was still under construction. "I'll never forget them though, their in my heart you see. All of them, everyone I've ever lost." And that was the last he spoke of the subject, leaving unexpectedly the next day, never showing his face again until the first heartless appeared.

"The first keybearer?" Said a familiar female voice from the hall. The king was dragged back from his memories to see Kairi leaned up against the wall, pale as a ghost and she looked as though she would faint any moment. Sora went to her side and moved her to the couch next to Riku, and he sat to her side as they all gave a look of explanation. "I've never heard the story of the first keybearer." Kairi said as curiosity was plain to see on her features.

"Well gosh, where to begin with this story." The king said scratching his head. "The story of the first wielder of the keyblade goes back hundreds of years, though I suspect the keyblade is much older than that, but anyway, the story is about two twins, one of light and one of darkness. When darkness threatened to over whelm the world they lived on, the keyblade granted itself to these two warriors, and with it they fought against the darkness for years. Until the king of darkness sent his greatest force to deal with the keybladers, and the world quickly fell. The twin of darkness joined the king as his first knight of darkness. The twin of light waited years before striking at the king at his own brother, their forces were torn to shreds before the light that this warrior released, his own brother vanishing in the light. It was then the keyblade was a recognized weapon of massive power and has since been coveted by all great warriors." The king finished his story and looked to the three keybearers before him.

"That story is nice and all, but what does it have to with the Legion of 7?" Riku asked, more annoyed than anything. He was growing rather impatient at these useless legends and stories. Kairi and Sora nodded their heads in agreement, Sora placing an arm around Kairi for support, but anyone with eyes could see why he had actually done it. Riku rolled his eyes and pondered why they hadn't already spoken their feelings yet, it was all he could do to not voice his opinion.

"I asked the very same question Riku," The king said, happy that someone voiced this question. "It seems the legend was wrong on some accounts, the twin of darkness wasn't a knight of the darkness, he was the very first Legionary. Over time the king of darkness gathered 6 others to join his Legion of 7. When the twin of light attacked, he thought he had destroyed the legion of 7 and the king of darkness forever, when in fact he was wrong, one legionary survived and so did the king it would seem. The knight seems to have taken up the mantle of the twin of light and is trying to destroy the Legion of 7 and the king of darkness forever." The king finished, looking towards his friends.

"The King of Darkness?" Kairi voiced, sounding unconvinced.

"Sounds like an unimaginative guy, I mean King of Darkness? It sounds completely unoriginal and sort of dumb." Riku said, sounding as though he had just heard something incredibly stupid.

"He had so many titles to choose from to, the Emperor of Night, or the Lord of the Shadows, but the King of Darkness is totally lame." Sora said, looking into space a little bit as he spoke. This took the King completely off guard, it was said the King of Darkness was the most powerful being in the known universe, even though he was a myth, said to be ruling from a part of the realm of Darkness.

"Yes, but now to the matter of Donald and Goofy." The King looked to his royal knights who saluted their king. "I'm sorry fella's, but I need you here in case the Legion strikes again." The king said, sounding genuinely sad. His knights looked down in disappointment but turned to the three on the couch and voiced their goodbyes, Goofy actually letting some tears fall. It was sometime after that that the gummi ship took off into space, awaiting commands on where to head to next.

"Any choices anyone?" Sora said from the cockpit, as he pushed buttons in the hopes he would find the autopilot. At the maps stood Kairi and Riku, each looking intently at the maps deciding where to go. "I've seen a lot of worlds to so don't hesitate to ask." Sora said, finding the correct button and was now currently waiting on his friends to decide where to go first.

As if on cue they both pointed to the map on the same spot and said "Radiant Garden!" The location highlighted itself and the ship began to move to the location. "The ship says we'll be there by tomorrow afternoon, so I think a good dinner and sleep are in order." Riku said looking to his friends who looked at him expectantly. "Fine, I'll cook us something to eat." Riku said exasperatedly. He knew for a fact the only Sora could cook was toast, and even that was a stretch, and Kairi was a fantastic cook, though she still looked worn out. "Kairi how about you help me while Sora looks after the controls for a little bit?" Riku asked, and even though it was a simple request, Kairi knew he wanted to talk to her about something. She agreed and they made their way to the small kitchen to cook something, or as Sora put it "Anything that has meat!" so the set out to make something... With meat. Looking through the cookbook left by the King, they decided on a simple breaded chicken with gravy and green beans. Simple yet filling. As they began to cook, Riku was thawing the chicken out when he said. "You have to tell him sometime you know." Kairi looked at him with a face of shock and terror. "Don't look surprised, anyone who has a brain can see you two like each other, it's painful to watch really. I think the only person here who doesn't know how you feel is Sora." He spoke quietly so Sora wouldn't over hear, keeping one eye on the door and some of his warriors instincts to make sure he wasn't just out of sight.

"I'll tell him... Eventually. I don't want him to think I'm being to forward." Kairi spoke in a voice that was almost a whisper, but Riku heard everything clearly. Sighing, he cooked the rest of the meal while he told Kairi to take a seat. In a hour, a flawless meal sat before the three, Sora's mouth watering as he stared down at his plate. The meal was spent with laughs, conversations of their home and families, and of course the days to come. It wasn't until 11 in the middle of the night that they went to bed, Sora overseeing Kairi to her room.

"Everything comfortable?" He asked her for the hundredth time. He had spent the last 15 minutes, fluffing her pillow, changing her sheets, laying out clothes, fetching a glass of warm milk, and lastly asking the same question over and over again. Kairi found it sweet that he would do all of this for her, yet all she wanted was some sleep.

"Sora for the thousandth time, I'm fine I'm just tired is all." She said giggling at him and his look of 'I can do more, I know I can.' It was then an idea popped into his head as he ran for the door, leaving a confused Kairi to sit and wonder. When he returned, he brought with him a pillow, blanket and a night shirt. "What are you doing goof ball?" She said as he tossed the pillow and blanket on the floor.

"Well," He began as he removed his regular shirt, giving Kairi a wonderful view of his torso. Although he wasn't incredibly muscular like Riku, he was well toned, she supposed fighting off evil for 2 years almost non stop would do that to the 16 year old boy. Her mouth was slightly open when he put the night shirt on, captivated by the sight she had seen, though he seemed oblivious to her expression because he smiled the smile only he could do and said "I'm making sure nothing goes wrong with you during the night, so I'll be right here, on the floor tonight. With you." He said the last part quieter than normal, and settled down on the comfortable spot he had found on the hard floor. She smiled softly and turned out the light.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"You really did never change did you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind, goodnight you lazy bum."

"Goodnight." _Goodnight to you, the most beautiful girl I've ever known._ Were his last thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.

**Listen I understand I really messed up. I know I said next week... and now its been months and I am so sorry for that, I've been caught up in a lot of problems recently. I've worked three jobs, passed my junior year of high school, been in and out of relationships like once every three weeks. Now I'm tutoring kids, balancing a social life and trying to convince my best friend that he is not gods gift to women (Trust me when I say he honestly think he can get any girl he feels like with a glance) **

**On another note, I will be trying to update this story on a semi regular basis, trust me when I say, I am not quitting on you my readers. As the writer of this story I now have an obligation to you to make sure I put out quality writing and material that you enjoy, so please do tell me if you spot a plot hole, or something that doesn't make sense, it's 12:30 in the morning and I'm running on 3 hours of sleep and 8 long hours of work. So please to write a review, and once again I do apologize for any anger issues I may have caused you. Hopefully you won't hunt me down and kill me for the suspense I put you through. **

**Next time on Hearts Desire: The Legion of 7. Who are they? What are they planning? Why do they fight the knight Nathaniel. Chapter 7: The first keybearer, sins of the past!**

_**I fight for only what my heart tells me. No man, beast, demon or god can ever take that from me!**_

**-Nathaniel of the Key **


	7. Chapter 7

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 7: The First Keybearer, Sin's of the Past.

It was there on the Lookout that Nathaniel watched Sora's gummi ship take off towards Radiant Garden, a world Nathaniel knew had a special connection to the three on board. "How strange," He said to himself from his place at the balcony where he had first met Raven. "The Garden always seems to be a center point in this story." He knew the Garden was special for him, it was his home for 8 years, a man of the Kings private body guards, only 4 others were allowed that pleasure. He recalled their names from the back of his mind. Brave Samuel, knight of valor and guardian to all innocents. Kind Lucia, maiden of the blade and protector to all in need. Careless Ross, duelist of the wind and the arm of the queen. Bold Alistair, warden of the ax and the silver tongue of the king. Out of all his fellow royal guards, he thought Ross was easily the most likable. Sam was far to serious and Alistair was always trying to learn more about you. But Ross was kind, quick of wit and a terrible gambler, always betting Nathaniel he could do this or that. But Ross was far to hot headed, diving head first into battle without any idea of what he was getting himself into. It brought a smile to his face to remember some of his old friends, who had long since passed.

"Remembering the good old days Nate?" Said a voice from behind. The voice was all to familiar for his liking, knowing it for so many years, and sometimes it haunted his dreams, turning peaceful slumber into nightmares. He merely shrugged as he felt more of beings slip onto his world. Nathaniel turned to see 7 figures standing before him, all had their faces hidden, though the one at the far left seemed familiar as well.

"So," He began, turning his attention to the one in the middle, who was wearing a black long coat and hood, but black gauntlets covered his hands, and Nathaniel assumed the one in the middle was wearing armor very similar to his own. "Have you finally decided to face me? All of you? This was a bold move indeed. Tell me, did Xeph send you, or was this your brilliant plan Spark?" He asked, addressing the leader, who at this point was most likely scowling at his remark.

"How dare you address the Captain in such a manner!" Said a female voice, standing next to the one at the far left. She was wearing a simple black jacket and pants, black dress shoes, but at her sides were two very large, very deadly looking pistols. She grabbed the pistol to her right, and was about to draw when the leader held up a hand, indicating to her to hold her fire.

"Trust me when I say number 5, you wouldn't even draw the gun from its holster, you would be dead." He said as a feeling of shock entered the area. "In fact, most of you would be. But even he must know he can't beat us all, especially myself." The one known as 'Spark' said, chuckling slightly to himself.

"I see these long years haven't changed you at all, still as arrogant as ever Spark." Said Nathaniel as he gazed around. Pools of a black, inky, substance began forming around his castle, Heartless of all shapes and sizes materializing. "And it seems you brought back up. That's just sad guys, Heartless? Really? You couldn't send Shades or Dark Trolls, or even Night Terrors? Heartless are pathetic in comparison." He said smiling at his own remark. In the past, the Legion had sent other beings of the darkness to attempt to kill him, and he eradicated their entire race, destroying all of the Shades, Dark Trolls, and Night Terrors to attempt to bring order to the universe. Heartless were tricky though, as long as there was darkness in the hearts of man, Heartless would continue to exist, and even he couldn't destroy human nature.

"We come only to offer a truce." Said an older man off the the right. He wore a black mages robe with a hood and cape, the look of a necromancer, one of the black arts of raising the dead. "You agree to leave us alone, and we shall leave you to yourself and your world. You must not interfere with the affairs of other worlds, nor our plans." The necromancer said, a tone of hope ringing through his voice.

"Ah," Nathaniel said, looking back to Spark. "Now this sounds more like Xeph. He is afraid I'll mess up your delicate plans yet again isn't he?" He said, looking to Spark, smile playing across his lips. "See the thing is Captain," He began, stepping forward and walking straight up to Spark's face. "I rather like the universe the way it is, so I'm not going to allow you and your little band of freaks to ruin the only good thing left. Tell his majesty, that he can shove his truce up his ass, no deal. Now leave my world." He said, looking towards the shadows that covered the Captains eyes, turning and moving back to his perch and added "And take your little monsters with you to!"

"You forget Nate," Began the Captain as his Heartless vanished into nothing and the other six beings vanishing as well leaving only the two on the balcony. "You were once the leader of this little freak show. Oh and it's not Spark, it's Caesar, try to remember that you old fool." Said Caesar as he disappears into the darkness. Nathaniel stood in silence for a moment as he felt the presence of his old ally slip away.

"Old fool?" He asked himself quietly. "When does he get the right to call me that? I'm only 22 years older than him." He chuckled to himself. Nathaniel himself was 564 years old, or was he 565? He couldn't remember anymore. Immortality truly was the greatest gift and curse he had ever received in all of his time. Thinking of his long past, he remembered the people he had met, friends and foes alike. His days began as a slave, nothing more than a common boy, now here he stood. A man. An old, old man. "From slave to dark warrior." He muttered to himself. Even though it was so long ago, it had become mere legend, the story of the two twin of the keyblade was completely wrong in hindsight. "Say something enough times it becomes fact." His keyblade materialized in his hands, and he thought back to the atrocities he had committed in his service to the darkness.

**KH:HD**

Night had fallen, and night would stay. It lingered in the coldest reaches of the dead city, corpses starring in horror at what had happened to the beloved world they had once lived in. Buildings crushed and broken across the streets, it would seem there was no life in this whole world now. In the darkness, being stirred, moving slowly, checking for life among the dead. There were two figures that stepped into the moon light on the steps of the castle grounds. One stood tall in shining black armor that seemed to draw darkness into it, his long swords at his side, blood dripping down the blade. The other was not as menacing as his fellow, a foot shorter and not as bulked up. He dressed in a black robe, his face shrouded by a hood, and wore a large glowing amulet in the shape of a heart that glowed a soft red in the darkness. "It seems there are survivors my knight." The shorter man spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, yet it seemed the entire world listened intently to his words.

The knight nodded his head in approval of the statement, stepping forward and continuing down the road a ways before stopping suddenly. "My master." He said, voice muffled by the helmet he wore. "I do not understand. There should be no life left, I cannot feel the pull of a soul here." As soon as the word 'here' left his lips, a shadow moved fast as lightning and shoved a short blade in the gap between his armor on his neck and his helmet. Blood spurted from the wound as the knight fought for breath.

After the knight had fallen to the ground, dead in his black armor, the being who had done the deed turned to the man in the cloak. The being turned out to be nothing more than a boy of 18 years, short cropped black hair on his head and deep blue eyes. He stood at the height of 5'7" and starred down the man. "Who are you?" The boy demanded, reaching to grab his short sword from the body of the man beside him.

"I must say I'm impressed." The cloaked man said, ignoring the question completely. "He was a rather skilled warrior, and you killed him as easy as swatting a fly. Impressive." He said. The cloaked man took steps towards the boy, who attempted to rush the cloaked figure. The figure then shot at the boy faster than a bullet, launching forward with such speed that the boy couldn't dodge the attack coming. The figure drew a long, thin, black longsword from under his cloak and slashed at the younger opponent, who made a clumsy block with his short sword. The short blade shattered on impact, leaving the younger opponent stunned for a moment, but soon he stabbed the now broken blade into the shoulder of the older warrior and shoved him away.

Blood ran black in the darkness down his robe and the older warrior staggered a bit. "Very impressive boy!" He exclaimed, ripping the blade from his shoulder and tossing the fragmented sword to the ground. "It has been many a year since I was last injured. Tell me boy. What is your name?"

"My name is Nathaniel, servant of the Blacksmith." He stated with practiced ease, never moving his eyes away from his enemy. "Who are you?" He repeated to the cloaked man. The older man didn't answer, just turned on the spot and began moving away. "Wait!" Nathaniel called after the retreating figure. He ran after the cloaked man, feet hitting hard on the ground, when the man stopped and turned.

"I am a king of sorts. They call me Xeph, King of Darkness." He said, now turning his head to the boy. "You are a powerful warrior, Nathaniel the servant. I would three questions, would you answer them honestly?" Xeph asked, now removing his hood to show his face. Long black and silver hair came to his shoulders, tied in a braid that ran down his neck, silver and black interweaving. He had cold, deep, red eyes with flakes of black in them.

"I would." Nathaniel answered wearily. Rumors of a King of Darkness were old legends that all children knew. The King was supposed to be a dragon 100 feet tall and breathed death, this man didn't appear to be a dragon in the least.

"Question one." Xeph said, now facing Nathaniel, red eyes trained on blue. "Where did you learn to fight?"

"My master taught me basics and the knights of the castle liked to spar." He said, speaking as though this were a common thing for slaves.

The king tsked softly. "Knights don't teach that kind of fighting. That was an assassins tactic, go immediately for the kill, now who taught you to fight like that boy?" This was a demand now, the king seemed to not like the generic answer at all.

Nathaniel paused a moment before answering "Some days... You have to learn things to survive in this world." The King nodded, seeming to understand the simple statement.

"Question two. How do survive when all these others have lost their lives?"

"They were fools." Nathaniel said, shrugging slightly to show his point. "They stood gawking at the destruction those things caused, while I found a quiet spot to hide and wait for my opportunity to attack." Again the king nodded in agreement to the statement.

"Question three. How is it, you, a mere slave to a blacksmith, cause so much power to be released?" Nathaniel looked confused at the statement. "A mere child who causes so much pressure to be released, you must have an incredibly strong heart."

"I don't understand." Nathaniel said, confusion seeping in his tone. "What pressure?" Again the king tsked, in a disappointed way this time.

"When strong opponents face each other in battle, their hearts release a pressure, or power signature if you will. Normal people don't register the pressure for their hearts are weak you see? Those with strong hearts will release a pressure to other strong hearts. A tightness in your chest will occur, meaning the other heart is stronger. There are cases where the mere pressure can kill an enemy." The king explained in a casual tone, as though this were common knowledge. "Your heart is powerful, incredibly powerful I must say, which in turn makes you a stronger person. You killed my knight with one attack, then blocked an attack I myself did and managed to injure me." He gestured to the injured shoulder. "Now why would someone like you be here?"

"I have no idea." Nathaniel answered honestly, he had no idea what this guy was talking about. Hearts, pressure, power signatures. None of it made any sense to the slave turned warrior. "I'm just a regular man."

"Far from it Nathaniel." The king answered, his voice calm and soothing. "You are one of the most powerful beings I've ever known. I can help you realize your power, give you power you've never dreamed of." He said, stepping closer to Nathaniel. "I can turn you into the greatest warrior the Realm of Light has ever seen, the Realm of Darkness as well. I can make your dreams reality." He was now an arms length away from the boy. "I'm asking you Nathaniel the slave. Will you become my Knight? My Legionary? My soldier? The choice is yours and yours alone."

Nathaniel considered it for a moment before answering "Yes." The king gave him a look that spoke of an explanation. "I've been treated like garbage my whole life, some dirty thing people despise. Well now all of those people are dead. I can be anything I want now, and you're offering me a knighthood? Count me in." He said, a small smile playing across his lips.

"Very well, but a knight requires armor does he not?" The dead knights body rose into the air, and the armor pried itself off the corpse, moving towards Nathaniel and attaching itself to him. The armor fit perfectly and was surprisingly comfortable. "And a blade." The sword of the knight flew into Nathaniel's grasp as well, actually shrinking to better accommodate it's new wielder. "You are no longer Nathaniel the slave. You are now Nathaniel, Captain of my Legions, knight of the darkness!"

**KH:HD**

Years had passed since that day, 20 to be precise and Nathaniel stood tall in his shining black armor, his sword in hand as he glanced down at the small town before him. A man who stood next to him turned to Nathaniel, gray eyes trained on his Captain. Nathaniel stood unmoving in the darkness of the cold night air. The man who stood next to Nathaniel was no where near as impressive as the Knight of Darkness, he stood at 5'11", a black shirt that was tight to his upper body, red stripes crossing across his chest, long tight fitting black pants, and black hiking boots. He had two short daggers attached to his belt, and a large bastard sword across his back. "Captain." The man started, voice timid and quiet. Nathaniel stirred and motioned for the man to go down to the village.

As the man moved forward towards the small town, his Captains voice called "Garth. Leave no survivors." At these words, a sadistic smile crossed Garth's face as he unsheathed the sword strapped to his back. Nathaniel turned around and headed back quite a ways from his companion, all the while listening to screams that pierced the night. _Why have us kill these people? _Nathaniel thought as he moved farther and farther away. _They meant us no harm, nor were there any strong hearts there. Its almost as if my King would have us kill for the sake of killing._ Nathaniel had slaughtered thousands in his masters name, never questioning, just reacting as a sword being swung would. That's all he was anymore, a sword. _Why must we- no I- fight like this. I only joined him because it's what my heart was telling me to do._ These were thoughts that were not meant to be drawn forth, but it's as though his mind was letting these ideas flow unbidden, as though his heart was yelling at him that he was wrong. _I don't enjoy killing._ This simple sentence shocked him beyond all belief. He truly did not enjoy the act of taking another mans life, even when he was demanded to do so.

Nathaniel moved farther and father away, his own thoughts plaguing him, his heart torn between duty and what was right. So lost in his thoughts, he never heard his companion moving towards him, nor did he see the glint of the bastard sword, black in the darkness. But he did hear the swish of the blade as it sliced the air. Nathaniel reacted upon pure instinct, easily turning, drawing his sword, and blocking the down cut. "Garth?" Nathaniel asked, shock evident in his tone. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What I was ordered to do." Garth answered, pulling his blade away and going in for a forward lunge with two hands. Nathaniel parried the blow, striking the large sword and turning to the right to block an incoming backhanded slash Garth used often. The backhand slash was easily blocked, but Garth quickly pulled his blade back again, striking faster and faster never letting Nathaniel do anything but block. "You're washed up!" Shouted Garth, emphasizing his words with an attack to Nathaniel's uncovered face, which was blocked with ease. "The King says you're losing your grip on what you should be doing, you hardly ever fight anymore, and your slashes are reluctant and filled with apologies! So I'm going to kill you and take your place as Captain of the Legion of 7!" All of these words were corresponding with an attack, but all were blocked or dodged by the Knight of Darkness.

"So this was the Kings idea was it?" Nathaniel asked, drawing back a few feet and waiting for the attack. Garth charged sword parallel with the ground, moving in for the kill. That's when Garth felt Nathaniel's cold steel pierce his chest, running him straight through. "You had everything planned out." Nathaniel whispered in his ear, softly so Garth would be forced to listen to these words before he died. "You were my second in command, it would make sense for you to believe you could kill me. But you were wrong Garth. Now I'm going to pay our liege a visit, and I'll let him know how you died by my hand, and how you died like a pitiful coward who had to surprise his opponent to stand a chance." Nathaniel then twisted his sword violently, then pushed, his arm sticking out the other side of Garth's chest. "Your duty is complete soldier, now burn in hell traitor!" At these words, a black flame covered Garth, Nathaniel pulling his arm out of the dying man's chest slowly as Garth screamed in agony. And that's how he died, in complete agony.

**KH:HD**

Nathaniel's trip home was filled with rage, the portal of darkness opened before him to reveal his home, or what could be called a home. A large castle, old and magnificent, stood towering above the gardens of this world. This world was stuck in perpetual darkness, no light save for a moon in the shape of a glowing, pulsating red heart. The castle was made of old black stone, doors of ancient oak, and menacing all around. Nathaniel walked to the front door and with one hand opened them both. They slammed into the walls, expressing his rage of the situation to all inside the great hallway before him. The other five Legionaries looked over in shock, then relaxing seeing it was Nathaniel. A young boy of only 16 ran over to the black armored Legionary, look of excitement and wonder. "Captain!" He said as he ran directly in front of the warrior, jumping and giving him a hug that nearly knocked the knight to the ground. Nathaniel stood unmoving to embrace the boy. The boy looked up in worriment and asked "Is something wrong Captain?" This child was only 16 yet proved he was very handy with a short sword and thunder magics, so upon arrival into this world, the King judged his heart worthy and strong enough to join the Legion of 7 as it's seventh member.

"Move aside Spark." Nathaniel said briskly, voice filled with a contained rage waiting to burst. "I must speak with his majesty." Nathaniel then pushed past the boy moving straight towards a long set of steps that would undoubtedly lead him to the audience chamber.

"Where's Garth?" Called a man who was nearest the door, the Number 6. He was a short man, a large mustache covering his face and laugh lines upon his forehead. Long red hair tied into three separate braids down his back, and a large claymore strapped to his back, almost as tall as him. The man was called a dwarf, from some obscure world Nathaniel couldn't remember, and was dubbed one of the strongest warriors on his world.

"Gone Balthazar." Nathaniel answered before opening the doors at the top of the stairs, and slamming them shut behind him, leaving his companions in complete confusion.

The audience chamber was a large room, pillars connecting the floor to ceiling all along the sides, a large glass domed roof above him as he walked, spilling a soft red light across the room. There in his throne sat the man who changed his life, the man who wanted him dead. He was reading a book in some ancient language Nathaniel couldn't understand. "My liege." Nathaniel said, stopping just short of the throne that sat atop a short flight of steps. The throne was made of a black stone known as obsidian, a stone that could only be found in the core of a dying world, Nathaniel noticed how the shiny stone throne and his armor looked eerily the same.

The King looked up, a bored expression on his face when he saw Nathaniel. "It seems Garth has failed me." The King said coolly, as though he expected as much. "I should have known he was to weak to kill a warrior of your caliber Nathaniel."

"Enough!" Nathaniel called, rage spilling out of his tone. "You think you can just use me? Treat me like a weapon and when your done with me, throw me away?!" His anger was evident, a black aura spilling forth from him, and a pillar cracked suddenly, pebbles were lifted off the ground, mere inches above the floor.

Yet the King of Darkness looked casually down to the knight below him. "Yes." He answered simply, smiling slightly "That's exactly what I think I can do to a pathetic excuse for a knight like yourself." The King closed his book, a loud echoing noise traveled through the chamber. "And I think," He began, extending his arm, and in a flurry of black feathers, his black longsword appeared. "That your service is complete, Nathaniel the Slave!" He moved. It was simply a blur of movement and he struck Nathaniel's armor, a loud cracking noise echoing through the chamber.

Nathaniel stepped back, reaching for his sword, drawing it in one swift move, trying to block the next attack. But it was a moment slow, Xeph struck out like a viper, striking the sword he had once given Nathaniel, snapping the blade in two! Nathaniel looked in horror at the sword, then lashed out with the smaller sword in hand, never coming close to his target. Xeph moved to fast, striking him all over until Nathaniel stood, bloody and winded. His right eye was bloody, closed to keep blood from pouring in and he was breathing heavily, blood dripping from his fingers as his armor, once beautiful and magnificent, was cracked and broken all over. Xeph stood triumphant over his old friend, new adversary. "You... Won't... Beat me..." Nathaniel said between breaths, his broken sword still clutched in his hands. "I won't lose to you." He said, taking one step forward. "My heart is screaming at me to kill you." He stepped forward, never stopping as he tried to reach his enemy. "I was a fool to join you, an arrogant fool. But no more!" He stopped, now at the foot of the steps that led him towards his enemy. "I was foolish, my heart led me astray that day, for my own good, but I see now. My heart is trying to reach the light that was lost on that day! I will find my light! I will fight for what I desire, not you!" His body began to release an aura once more, but this one was a white light, just barely visible but noticeable none the less. "I shall follow my own heart! My hearts desire! I fight for only what my heart tells me! No man, beast, demon, or god can ever take that from me!" The light grew brighter and brighter until Nathaniel was only a silhouette inside an orb of light.

"What is this?" Xeph asked astonished, eyes wide with fear. "How can light enter the world of darkness?!"

The light seemed to shatter like glass, even a glass shattering noise filled the air, and there at the foot of the steps stood Nathaniel. Only now he was slightly different, his wounds were gone for starters, and across his shoulder and down his back, was a large red cape. His armor completely fixed, looking even stronger than before. But the most astonishing thing he carried was his sword. The broken blade was now completely different. Where as once it was a simple longsword, it now resembled a large key. The guard was simple, very blocky and met into the middle, looking ordinary save for its golden color. Same for the 'blade', which was nothing more than a blunt piece of silver metal, the teeth resembling a crown of sorts. Nathaniel took notice of the new sword as he heard the eerily familiar, yet unknown voice ring through his head. '_**Keyblade. Keyblade. Keyblade.'**_ An endless repeating cycle until he took his fighting stance, keyblade held to his side parallel to the ground. "Time for you to pay for your sins Xeph!" Nathaniel called, moving faster than the eye could blink, striking Xeph in the right collar bone in a vicious down cut. Xeph stumbled, but Nathaniel gave him no time to react, slashing wildly at him, each hit either connecting with blunt force, or slicing him. At the end of his attack, Nathaniel launched Xeph into the air with an upper cut and fired a large whit light from the tip of his keyblade screaming "Bane of Darkness!" The light pierced through Xeph's chest, leaving him stunned in midair, a look of shock covering his face. After a few moments of hanging in the air, he feel with a sickening noise, dead to the world.

Nathaniel turned, moving back towards the door he entered through, knowing what he had to do next. He had to kill the Legion of 7. It was the only way to repent his crime. So from the moment he left that room and entered the hallway beyond the door, and the time it took him to easily slaughter his old companion's, was mere minutes. None could match up to him. After dealing a finishing blow to Balthazar, he turned to look at the young boy standing in the doorway to the gardens. "Why Captain?" He asked, tears running down his face. "Why are you doing this? What did we do?"

"You are still a boy who has taken next to no life Spark." Nathaniel said, moving forward. "Repent your ways and move on with your life."

"Never!" The boy shouted, drawing his short sword. "You were like a father to me, to all of us!Why turn on us?!"

"You are a child who knows nothing of the ways of mans heart." Nathaniel said quietly, shaking his head. "I cannot kill you, for you are simply a boy, an idiotic boy who reminds me so much of myself." Nathaniel then disappeared, reappearing behind the boy. "I am truly sorry Spark." The keyblades hilt then connected with the base of the boys neck, just enough force to knock him out. Nathaniel looked pityingly down at him, then once again moved forward to leave this god forsaken place.

Or so he believed. His life would never be the same after this day.

"Leaving so soon?" A taunting voice called. Nathaniel turned and saw someone he didn't expect to see alive. Xeph. He stood tauntingly above the body of Spark, moving closer to Nathaniel, who at this point couldn't find words.

"But... How?"

"You see boy," The old King said, moving closer until he was only two feet away from the ex-knight. "You cannot kill me, for I am the ultimate being! Centuries ago I discovered a spell that could conquer death itself, and I used it! I am the immortal being! The ultimate King! And you." He looked Nathaniel dead in the eye's, glaring slightly. "Are not worthy of death."

**KH:HD**

Nathaniel shook his head, relieving himself of the memories he suffered from. So many times in his life he should have died, and his becoming immortal was one of them. The spell caused the most painful experience the mind, body, and heart could handle, stretching them to the limits, then holding them there. When the pain stopped, you could no longer die, and your tolerance for pain was a lot higher.

Nathaniel watched the sky once more, finding Sora's gummi ship flying straight towards Radiant Garden. "Sora." He said, eyes trained on the ship. "Your journey is difficult, but you must overcome this. You are the key that connects us all. Including myself."

**So I can't really say I have an excuse for not posting this earlier simply other than I've been to lazy to write. I suffered from a massive writers block, and forced myself to write this partial back story of my character Nathaniel. **

**In other news, I would like to inform all of my readers to check out another fan fiction that you can find here on ! Kingdom Hearts: Genesis of Destiny. It is one of my all time favorite stories. Sir Angelo does a fantastic job with his writing, the characters are likable, villains are pure evil, and the little facts you learn about his characters are interesting. Over all, I'd give this story a 10 out of 10, plus his story is complete with ideas of a sequel. It is long but worth it my friends. But any who onto the preview! **

**Sora, Riku, and Kairi have landed, but is this exactly how they planned their first mission to be? A battle between the Legion and Kairi's heritage unfold here on the Kingdom of Everlasting Light! Next time on Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire. Battle for the Kingdom, Sora's Duel and Kairi's Choice! **

_**Nothing can stop me when I fight for my friends! I'll stop anyone who tries to hurt them! How could I live with myself otherwise?**_

**- Sora Hikari**


	8. Chapter 8

**Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire**

**Chapter 8: Battle for the Kingdom, Sora's Duel and Kairi's Choice**

_ "Sora." A voice had been calling to Sora for what seemed like years now. The place he was in was black, eternally dark. Sora moved forward though, never tiring, never feeling anything but that he had to go to his destination. "Sora. The time has come." The voice called, and a bright light appeared before Sora, and the shapes of worlds he never knew existed were shown, with a tall man in the center of them all. "Your destiny is unfolding faster than we expected, you too must adapt to your surroundings. The fate of all life hangs in the balance, you must not fail Sora." The worlds around the man, who was unrecognizable at this time, began to vanish in black puffs of smoke. "Your enemies shall not hold back, they shall not falter. But do not be afraid Sora." Sora didn't feel afraid, he urged the voice on with his thoughts. "The door... Is opening...The door... You alone have the choice Sora. To close the door, or open it. Only you can choose." _

_ "What door?" Sora asked, voice quiet in the pitch blackness. "What door are you talking about?" _

_ "Do not be afraid... The door is opening... **Keyblade... Keyblade... Keyblade.. Keyblade. Keyblade! Keyblade! KEYBLADE!"**_

"Sora!" Sora woke up, shooting straight up from his position on the floor, sitting up breathing deeply. Worried blue eyes looked at him. "You were shouting something, and you summoned your keyblade." The voice was none other than Kairi, who looked down at Sora with confusion plastered across her face.

Sora's eyes were drawn to his keyblade, The Ultima Weapon, which was tightly gripped in his hand. "The door is opening..." The words made no sense to him, which door? Kingdom Hearts was gone, and as far as he knew, no one else was trying to create one. "Keyblade..." What did his dream mean? Could his dream be linked to the Legion of 7? Sora shook his head and starred up to the red headed beauty before him. "Sorry about that." He smiled his trademarked smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Weird dreams you know?"

She sighed deeply, giving him a small smile, stood him up, and pushed him out the door. "Kairi? Why are you pushing me-"

"Because I'm going to change!" He gave her this look that screamed 'Can I at least get my things?' "You can get your stuff when I'm done. Bye!" She closed the door, locking it behind her. Sora continued to stare dumbfounded at the door.

"By the way." Called a voice from the kitchen, Sora looked to see Riku. Riku sat at the kitchen table, newspaper in hand, sipping on coffee. "We're going to land in a few hours, I'd suggest cleaning up a little. And put the keyblade away." The keyblade shimmered out of Sora's grasp, yet he still starred at Riku with a look of perplexed curiosity.

"What?"

"Where did you find a newspaper?"

**KH:HD**

The gummi ship landed just outside of the market district on Radiant Garden. Sora stepped out proudly on the streets and looked around the world he knew so well. The town seemed to be going under construction, there were buildings all over that were halfway built and the area was filled with the sounds of power tools, yelling, and the sounds of progress. The castle in the distance looked to be just started on reconstruction. The broken areas were being fixed up and it looked as though the whole castle were going to be rebuilt in some way. Sora starred down proudly at the sight before him, as Kairi gazed down in awe of the world she used to call home, Riku starred at the castle, a look of sadness mixed with rage easy to see.

"What's wrong Riku?" Kairi asked, giving him a soft punch on the shoulder. "Don't like the castle to much?"

"This castle? Yes." He said, averting his eyes from the sight. He raised a finger and pointed to it. His face contorted with rage at the sight of the castle. "That's the place where I gave into the darkness. That's the place where Malificent used me as a pawn. That is the place where I nearly killed both of you. And that is the place where Xehanort's Heartless took my body. That is the place I despise." Riku finished with a sigh, looking down towards the ground and turning away from the sight.

Sora grasped his friends shoulder, turning Riku to face him. "Riku," Sora said, looking his friend in the eyes. "That's all in the past, quit focusing on what you did wrong but look at what you've done right. You saved me and Kairi from the Organization. You threw yourself into Kingdom Hearts to prevent the destruction of all those worlds. Sure you've messed up a little, nothing that can't be fixed." Sora smiled and turned back towards the sight below. "Besides," He began, moving off down a close flight of steps. "You gotta focus on the here and now."

"What a knucklehead." Kairi murmured as she faced Riku as well. "Stop sulking so much, Sora was right, everything you've done wrong can be fixed." She went up and gave Riku a quick hug. "So we'll fix it together okay?"

"Right." Riku said. The hug only lasted maybe a second, but it still made Riku slightly uneasy. Why should his friends forgive him so easily? He had almost killed them both, yet they acted liked nothing happened. _I have some strange best friends._ He thought as he followed Sora, Kairi at his side.

Down below in the streets, the streets were busy with people, busying themselves with the construction. Most of the shops were open and busy, and customers were shouting to have their voices heard by vendors. All in all, the world seemed to have exploded with people, more people than Sora thought could live in the town.

"Wow." He said as he pushed his way past some men, who were arguing about which of the new bars would be the best. "I didn't know this many people could be crammed together." Sora was happy to see the Garden this way though, and he wondered where he could find Leon and ask him any questions about the Legion of 7. "Excuse me." He said to two men around their age. One was Sora's height, he had a head of blonde hair that covered his forehead. He had blue eyes and a mouth that could turn from a smile to a frown in a heartbeat.

His companion was a few inches taller, built like Riku, and also had blue eyes and blonde hair, though his was much shorter and covered in a gel that formed flat spikes on his head. They both wore strange green and red uniforms, the pants, overcoats, and gloves green and the trimming, hats, and boots red. The two almost could have been brothers. "I'm telling you, Seventh Heaven is going to be the best place to get a drink! How could you even think for a second that Aces High Style Club is going to be good at all?!"

"I'm going to tell you for the thousandth time then, Seventh Heaven is going to be a boring place for old sad guys go to drink their miserable lives away! Aces is going to rock!"

"Hello?" Sora asked again, sounding rather impatient.

"What! Old men! Are you calling me old?"

"I'm calling you boring!"

"I should beat your sorry-"

"Hey!" Riku shouted at the two, who jumped and turned to the three in question.

"Can we help you?"

"We're looking for Leon." Said Sora, looking at the two men. "Seen him around?"

"Why are you looking for the General?" Asked the shorter man, who looked at the three in surprise.

"General?" Sora said in confusion. "Since when has Leon been a General?"

"You know General Lionheart?" Asked the taller man now, eying the three with mistrust.

"Of course we do!" Sora said as he pointed to Riku and Kairi. "I'm Sora, and that's Riku and Kairi."

"Sora..." The shorter man said.

"Kairi..." The taller man said. The two then looked closely at the two, leaving Riku standing in puzzlement. The taller man blanched loudly, and punched his companion on the top of his head, and proceeded to bow to Kairi, right arm across his chest.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Don't you know who this is?" The taller man said in frustration. "She's Kairi Haru, daughter of King Stephen and Lady Summer! She's the princess you idiot!" This caused the smaller man to blanch as well, and bow deeply to the princess in question.

The smaller man's head poked up, looking at Sora, then Riku. "Then that means..." He began slowly, then his face flooded with excitement. "These are Sora Hikari and Riku Asa! Keyblade masters!" At once the two bowed even deeper, looking almost ridiculous . "I apologize Key Masters. I should have known at once who you were."

The taller man then stood up to his full height, the shorter man following suit. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Private Ashton Malcolm. My friend here is Corporal Michel Zio. We're apart of the Radiant Garden Military."

"When did Radiant Garden get a military?" Sora asked, looking surprised at the two soldiers. He had been gone a month and Leon had already set up a military and started reconstruction on the town and castle? _Talk about working hard_. He thought.

"Well the General and Council set up the military about a month ago. Well a month and a half really, but at that point there was just a few guys in training, but now we have 59 members, recruiting more every day." Said Ashton, looking to Kairi. "Of course things would go quicker with the lovely Princess here."

Michel slapped his friend upside the back of the head. "Don't get any ideas, only royalty can marry royalty genius." Michel looked over to Kairi with an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, he thinks he's 'God's gift to women.'" He then rounded on his friend again. "Besides she's what? 16? Are you some kind of pedophile!"

"Of course not," Ashton said. "And what do you mean 'only royalty can marry royalty'? Her father married her mother and she was a commoner!"

"Drop it Ash!" Michel once again slapped Ash upside the head. "That's an order." He said smirking at his friend.

"Whatever." Ash said, looking towards the Keybladers. "We can take you to the General. Follow us." The two then turned on their heels and walked towards the castle, the three islanders close on their heels.

Kairi caught up with the two and began walking next to them. "You seem to know a lot about my family." She said, turning to Ash. "I can't remember anything about them." She said sadly.

"It's in our job description my Lady." She flinched at the title. "To get in, we have to have basic knowledge of the royal family and how they ruled. I'm sure that there are other people who can give you more information. The royal guard were great friends to your parents, though most are long dead." Said Ash, turning back towards the castle.

"Yeah, plus there was that Ansem guy, he was your fathers most trusted adviser. Though he died when the castle was overrun by the Heartless." Michel said, looking to Kairi. "I'm sure someone will be able to give you answers my Lady."

"Could you not call me that please." Kairi said, slightly annoyed at her new title. "I'm the same as you. A regular, average, everyday, human being." _Who happens to be a Princess of Heart and a Keybearer._ She thought to herself.

"Umm..." Ash began looking to Michel.

"Is that an order my Lady?" Michel said in confusion. Kairi face-palmed at the question.

Further back, Sora and Riku followed a few steps behind, catching minor parts of the conversation in front of him. "Not what you expected?" Riku asked, amused at the expression on Sora's face.

"With the town? No. With these guys? Kinda. With Kairi? Yes." He said, sour look on his face. He didn't like the fact that these two referred to Kairi as 'my Lady' nor the way that Ash had hit on her earlier. "You think Leon would be upset if I knocked them around?"

"Probably not." Riku laughed. "What's the big deal anyway. You like her. She likes you. Why don't you just go tell her how you feel?" Riku elbowed his best friend the ribs. "What? Is the Keyblade Master, slayer of evil, key that connects everything, Sora afraid of Kairi?"

"Yes." He responded immediately. "You remember that time I accidently knocked her in the water when we were 6?" Riku nodded, smiling at the memory. A 6 year old Sora had pushed a 6 year old Kairi 'accidentally' into the waters on the children's island. She had come out wet and steaming mad, and pushed Sora into the shallow end on accident, nearly breaking the poor boys leg. "I wouldn't force an angry Kairi on Xemnas."

"Why would she be mad idiot? Didn't I just say she likes you?" Riku said, looking up towards the castle. "Think of it. Sora and Kairi Hikari, rulers of Radiant Garden." Sora laughed a bit and shoved his friend. "I'm just saying Sora." He clasped Sora by the shoulder and shoved him forward. "Get up there!"

After a few minutes of walking, the group found themselves at the base of the castle, large and imposing as always. "The General should be inside, probably the library or the entrance hall overseeing something." Said Ash, looking towards the group. "Michel and I have to finish up our shift and we're off the clock for the night. So we'll probably see you around."

"Yay," Michel said unenthusiastically. "12 more hours of wondering aimlessly through the streets! My favorite past time!" He pumped his hands in the air tiredly. "Think the General would be kind enough to let us have a day off?" He said to Ash as they moved back towards the city.

Sora looked up at the castle and smiled. "Well there's no time like the present right guys?" He said as he grabbed his friend's arms and dragged them through the front doors. Inside, the place was drastically different than Sora remembered. The entrance hall was now covered in sheets of plastic, workers moving and shouting. The entire building was being redone it seemed. "Excuse me." Sora said to one of the workers.

"Yeah kid?" The man said, looking almost annoyed at Sora's interruption.

"Mind telling us where Leon is?" Sora said as he motioned to Riku and Kairi.

"General Leon?" The man scratched his chin in deep thought. "I think he's in the throne room. When you see him, tell him ol' Dario needs another round for my boys got it?"

"Will do." Riku said as he moved towards a large set of doors at the end of a long hallway and atop a flight of steps. The throne room was about the same as the entrance hall, everything covered in a sheet of plastic. Only five people were in this room though, each sitting around a small table in the center of the room. Sora recognized three of the people immediately as Aerith, Yuffie, and the new General. The other two were unknown to him.

When the doors slammed shut behind the group, Leon raised his head and smiled softly. "Well," He began as the others turned their heads. "Seems like one prayer was answered. And here I thought Gods were only myths."

"Sora!" Shouted Yuffie, as she ran towards her old friend, catching him in a tackle like hug. Sora barely managed to keep his feet as she spun him around and let him go. "And Riku to!" Although she didn't really know Riku, she knew he was a friend to Sora, and a friend of Sora was a friend of hers. So like Sora she ran and hugged him. "And if it isn't the little princess." She said as she went to hug Kairi.

"Yuffie." Said one of the unknown men. "You might want to let the three have some breathing room." The man was short, standing a mere 5' and round as a pumpkin. He had a walrus mustache across his face, and he seemed to smile a lot. "I am most happy to make your acquaintance, I am Mr. Josiah Matchlock. I'm running the reconstruction of the town as you see, and so I've been given a chair on the council."

"Council?" Sora said, looking to Leon for answers. "There's a council now?"

"Technically there always has been," Leon said, moving to the front of the table to lean against it to talk to Sora, Riku, and Kairi. "There haven't been many board members willing to fill the spots until now. There are five seats, each person doing a specific job. Aerith here is our head Doctor, she oversees the clinics and hospitals around the area and keeps us up to date on what medical supplies we need. Yuffie is in charge of the people in a sense. She makes sure complaints are met with solutions and problems are solved quickly. As Mr. Matchlock already said, he's the on site manager of the majority of the reconstruction process, without him we'd have basically a dead city. I'm running our military strength, making sure that our people stay safe. And Mr.-"

"Please General." The man said, looking at Leon dead in the eyes. "I would like to introduce myself if you don't mind." The man was tall, 6' and crafty looking. His eyes were a deep gray that seemed to stare into your soul when he looked at you. His hair was brown with traces of gray in them. "I am Sir Alistair Ray. I was once a friend to your father Princess, and was named Warden of the Ax long ago. I served with the Royal Guard and helped your father on many occasions. I am currently serving as the Master of Coin, I determine what we buy and sell and how to raise money and taxes efficiently."

"You knew my father?" Kairi saidin shock. Sora saw Leon shoot the older man a look of hatred. Apparently the dislike of this man wasn't only in him. Sora looked at him and saw something... Off about him. Sora didn't trust the way the man presented himself. A certain air of superiority clouded the man, the look in his eye when he looked at Kairi was one of boredom and amusement.

"Yes I knew your father very well." Alistair said, smiling slightly at Kairi. "I dare say he trusted me with his life."

"You know he did." Leon said suddenly, eye's alight with hatred. "You know damn well he did, and yet when the time came to protect him, you weren't there! So where the hell were you anyway?!" Leon's face was contorted with rage, hands in fists shaking violently as though it took all of his strength not to punch the man in front of him.

Yet Alistair seemed unfazed by the outburst, he merely sighed in mock annoyance. "General," He began, looking at Leon with the same bored stare. "We've had this discussion, I was out fighting in the streets when the King was murdered. There was nothing I could do."

"To hell with that! You should have been by his side! You should have-"

"Squall!" Yuffie shouted, looking at Leon with slight disappointment. "That's enough both of you. I'm getting sick of having to break up these fights between you, and I'm sure Kairi doesn't want to hear this right now." Yuffie looked to Kairi.

Leon's face then turned to pity as he looked at Kairi. "Sorry." He said, looking to the ground. He looked back to Alistair, anger written across his features. "I need some air." He then turned and headed to the door.

"Leon wait!" Yuffie called, reaching for her friend.

Sora touched her on the shoulder lightly and said "I'll go after him. You guys watch Kairi." He sped off after Leon. He barged through the doors, head whirling for any sign of the General. After a few words to some workers and some rather unhelpful directions, Sora found Leon perched on one of the balconies, eye's trained on the town below him. "Having fun?" Sora asked as he stood next to his friend, eye's also trained on the town.

"I'm sorry Sora." Leon said quietly, face emotionless as usual. "That man just is everything I despise. A politician, a liar, a cheat. But we need him. I hate a man that I need to protect all of these people." Leon got quiet for a moment. The whole world was silent it seemed.

"So?"

Leon looked affronted by the question. He starred at Sora with shocked eyes. "Leon there are times when you're going to have to face the facts, Alistair might be the worst guy in the world but who knows? Maybe he's actually the thing you need. Think of it as a battle strategy Leon. You need him like you need men to run an army, so you might as well work peacefully beside him, right?" Sora's smile was contagious, as anyone who had met him could tell you, and this smile was no different.

Leon smiled lightly and began to laugh softly. "You know," He began, eyes turning back to the city. "I never thought I would hear something reasonable come out of your mouth. Thanks Sora."

"Anytime Leon." Sora said, and for a few moments, there was silence between the two allies, when Sora peered over the edge of the balcony. "You know," He began, smiling and backing up to the door, taking a running stance. "It's been awhile since I've tried this."

"Tried what?" At the word 'what' Sora ran at full speed and jumped right off the balcony, scarring Leon beyond all belief.

"Sora!" He called, body half dangled from the balcony, when he smiled at what he saw. Sora wasn't falling like he had thought, instead he was gliding through the air like a bird, spinning and laughing the entire time. "Feh," He began, turning back towards the door. "I suppose I'll look after Kairi while he's away."

**KH:HD**

Sora laughed as he glided, it felt so good to do this again. He had gone an entire journey and hadn't even given it thought until the battle with Xemnas. But the relaxing feeling it gave him was something else entirely, it was exhilarating, like battling powerful opponents or traveling to new worlds. He spotted a familiar sight and decided to land. When he touched down, he was in the place where he fought and killed Demyx. He looked around, small sad smile across his lips.

Of all the things Sora didn't like about his adventures, it was the killing he hated most. He had killed people before, but he didn't like to think on it. Sure Heartless and Nobodies were not technically alive, but he didn't like to dwell on destroying them either. Sora's eyes caught a flicker of movement and he instinctively summoned his Keyblade, The Ulitma Weapon, the long weapon fitting in his grasp comfortably.

Out of the shadows stepped a Heartless. This Heartless was one Sora had never seen before, it was as tall as him and as wide as a bull. The creature had arms that ended in long, scythe like blades, and had a cartoon like head in the shape of a skull and a hood and cloak. These were the Pale Scythe Heartless. Sora saw that six other Pale Scythes were appearing, along with Shadows, Guard Heartless, and Large Bodies. "Great." Sora said as he took his fighting stance. "All alone against these Heartless. It's almost unfair for them." He smiled and charged into battle.

He decimated Shadows left and right as he tried to reach one of the Pale Scythes. He jumped over a Large Body and slammed his Keyblade in it's back, the large Heartless destroyed on impact, using the hit as momentum, he slammed the mythical blade into one of the arms of the Pale Scythe, stopping his momentum and leaving him suspended for a moment.

A moment to long. Another Heartless raked its scythe like arm through Sora's back, cutting a light wound in him. He flipped off the arm and brought his Keyblade down on the creatures head, destroying it completely. He landed and went right back into the fight. Flipping, slicing, cutting, blocking, dodging, casting spells, constantly fighting off the never ending waves of enemies. Still, he began to wear down, and with no allies he couldn't use any of his drive forms. "That's it!" He called to the hoard of dark monsters. "Time to finish you! Thundaga!" The lightning spell destroyed at least a fourth of the small hoard, and he charged in, Firagas blasting from the tip of his Keyblade, eradicating Heartless in small groups until there were none left.

Panting hard, he reached into one of his many pockets and drew out a handy Elixir that he kept on him for situations like this, and let the magical potion heal and energizer him. "Well that was a nice warm up." He said, letting his arms drop to his sides.

"Ready for the main event kid?" Said a voice from above. Sora looked up and saw a sight he hoped to never see again. It was Zachariah of the Shadows, standing as though he were brand new from the fight yesterday. "Good to see your as strong as ever." He said, smiling lightly, cruel look in his face. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did yesterday."

"Yeah we beat you once! We'll do it again!" Sora called, standing at the ready.

"We?" Zachariah said mock confused. "I don't see a 'we'. I see a you, and you stand no chance against me!" Then he charged, his large knives going for the kill immediately. Sora knew this was going to be more difficult than yesterday. This was a duel for his life.

**KH:HD**

Kairi sat next to Alistair, waiting for Riku to come back from wherever he was off to. The duo were alone in the throne room, sitting in silence around the table. Alistair's eyes were trained on her and it made her feel like she was being interrogated. "So..." She began slowly, unsure of what to say.

"I'm glad your back Princess." He said, looking at her. "We really could use you in this situation."

"What?" She asked. She was a little taken aback at his abruptness. "What do you mean?"

"Well," He began, searching for words it seemed. "I mean that you are royalty, the last of your fathers blood line, making you the only heir to the kingdom. Sure the council can do a lot but without you, no real decisions can be made. There's no adviser either so we're all just going on popular vote, which is difficult considering some of the points we don't know anything about. We're reaching in the dark here and we could use the boost of having the Princess around and you could pick an adviser."

"Alistair," She said, more in shock than she thought. "I'm 16. I don't know anything about running a kingdom, let alone make decisions to decide it's fate."

"That's what we're here for Princess, we guide you. Of course we'll have to wait until your 18 before you can ascend the throne, and then there's the issue of who you'll marry and-"

"Hey." Said a voice from behind them. It was Riku, who at this point in time was shooting Alistair a look of hatred. "How about you let Kairi decide on what she's doing and not plan it out for her. If she wants to take the throne when she's 18, then she will, until then, sit down, shut up, and leave her alone."

"How dare you." Alistair said, affronted by Riku's tone and words. "I am a council member and the old friend of her father. I might as well be family-"

"You're not her family." Riku said coldly. "You don't even know her, so how can you talk to her about running a country when she just got here? Leave." Riku said, tone as icy as a blizzard. Alistair sat, stone in a seat. "Now!" Barked Riku. Alistair stood up, bowed to Kairi then left without a look back at them.

"Riku..."

"I hate it when people try and use others for there own purposes. It happened to me to many times, and I will not let others decide your life." Riku smiled at her lightly. "Especially on your love life."

Kairi blushed at that, turning redder than a tomato. "Speaking of you-know-who." She said, standing up and looking out a nearby window. "I wonder what he's up to."

**KH:HD**

Sora dodged yet another knife from Zachariah, thrown at his head. The battle was mostly at a standstill, Sora would attack anytime he left himself open and dodge when he was attacking. "What's the matter Zach?" He said, taking cover behind one of the pillars. "You don't seem to be as strong as you were boasting about when we beat you."

"Trust me kid." He said, throwing five knives at once at Sora, who rolled out of cover to block them. "We're just getting started!" Zachariah jumped down from his perch on one of the out the perches along the rock wall, and charged with his duel long knives. Sora met him in mid air, Keyblade smashing the knives as the two seemed to dance in mid air. The two landed on the ground, but they did not separate, they continued to circle and swing at each other, neither gaining any headway on the other.

"You aren't as tough as before." Sora said between slashes, he was throwing all of his might behind each slash now, trying desperately to break his guard. "If this is all the Legion has to offer than you might as well quit now!" Sora said as he preformed and excellent down cut to emphasize this statement. But Zachariah was gone. He had vanished before the attack had struck!

"Now you've pissed me off." Said a voice from behind. Sora turned and saw Zachariah standing beside on of the pillars, body giving of an aura of darkness. "I'm going to show you the power of the shadows kid!" His coat blew off his body, torn to shreds from the power he was releasing. His arms seemed to be consumed in shadows, as they covered his entire body. His face became nothing but a featureless shadow with bright yellow eyes. "I believe you got a taste of this form yesterday." He said, stepping towards Sora slowly. "The cornerstone prevented the actual use of this form though. Meet my Shadow Stage!"

He charged at Sora, and before Sora could even act upon this, he was on him. Slashing wildly at Sora, who could barely keep up a block. He was moving so fast that Sora could barely see the next attack coming. As quick as the assault started, it ended. Zachariah jumped back 10 feet and starred at his enemy. "Time for another new trick." He said, raising his arms up to the sides. "Infinite Shadow Swords!" His knives became coated in a similar darkness to his body, blacker than night. "Grow!" The shadow blades extended to 10 feet long, and he swung one in a sideways slash at Sora. He blocked and attempted to block the second slash, when the blade shifted from straight to a diagonal, going past the Keyblade and shooting directly into his shoulder!

"These are shadows not swords! Nothing about them is linear kid." Said the Shadow Zachariah, as his blades continued to shoot out at Sora in strange angles. Sora blocked as best he could, but the shadows ignored his attempts and slashed him at any point he could. He jumped back and blocked both shadow blades as the aimed for his chest. He flew back as they pushed him in the rock surface and crushed him into it, leaving a large crater where he landed. The shadows retracted to their original forms, their master walking forward. "So this is the power of the Keyblade master." He said, looking at Sora with those dead yellow eyes. "Without your friends or that cornerstone, you're nothing but a kid with a fancy toy." He raised his knife up, pointing directly at Sora's heart. "Time to-"

Sora jumped out at him, moving faster than lightning itself, striking Zachariah in the crown of the head, cutting him down to his neck! Sora flipped over and shot seven Firaga spells at him, each making explosive contact! He landed and began panting heavily, blood pouring from his wounds. "Heal." He said quietly, as the curaga spell did its job, closing wounds from all over his body. When he stood up and looked back, his foe was gone, seemingly destroyed from the onslaught that Sora caused. "It's over."

Suddenly, pain shot through the right side of Sora's chest. He blanched in pain and looked down to see a long, blade like shadow sticking out of his chest. The shadow retracted out and Sora turned, grasping his chest. Zachariah stood yet again, standing as though Sora never even harmed him. "But... How?"

"I'll admit," He said, examining his blade, looking as though nothing were wrong. "That should have killed me, you split my head down the middle and hit me with some pretty hot flames. But you see kid." He looked to Sora, and white teeth shone in a smile across the darkness, making him look more like a monster than before. "This form makes me damn near invulnerable, the shadows heal me. Now die!" He tossed his knives aside, letting them return to their original, none shadowy form. His arms outstretched in front of him. "Shadow Annihilator Blast!" A large black and purple orb appeared in front of him, and shot itself at Sora.

"Reflega!" And the shield appeared right as the world exploded.

**KH:HD**

"Riku!" Kairi shouted as she saw the massive blast in the distance. "What is that?"

"I don't know." He said as he looked over at the blast as it began to diasppear. "But something tells me Sora was involved in that." He said as he took off towards the door. When he arrived at it and was about to rip it open, Leon pushed the doors open and rushed in.

"Did you see that?" He asked as the two nodded. "I'm going to go check it out, you two stay here."

"Are you kidding?" Riku asked, shoving his way past the larger man. "We both know Sora was probably there, I'm going to go check it out. You watch Kairi." Riku then turned on his tail, and ran outside the doors, trying to make it to the location before it was to late.

"Well?" Kairi said as Leon looked back to her, her hands on her hips, foot tapping annoyed on the ground. "Are you going to stand there all day or are we going to save Sora?"

"I can't let you go out there." He said, arms crossing his chest. "It's to dangerous and I have to protect you. We're going to-"

"You can stay here Leon, I'm going to go save my friends. Now you can come or not, your choice." She said as she ran out the same door Riku did, her Keyblade summoned into her grasp along the way.

"When did I get stuck with babysitting duty?" Leon asked himself exasperatedly as he took off after his princess. _You better still be alive kid. _He thought. _Your more important to us than you think_, _especially to a certain princess._

Mean while, back on Sora's end. A large dust cloud encircled the place where he had once stoo, Zachariah standing still, looking for any sign of life in the dust.

"Thundaga!" Shouted a voice from inside, and a barrage of lightning flew from the sky, striking Zachariah's throwing knives and dual knives, destroying them all. Sora stepped out of the dust, unfazed by the attack Zachariah had made. "Without your knives, you shouldn't be as big of a threat." He said, standing back into his fighting position.

"You said that I wasn't a threat last time when I kicked your ass kid." He said, pointing a hand forward. "Die." His arm extended, shooting out as fast as a bullet, and the hand closed around Sora's throat in an iron like vice, chocking him. "I'll just have to kill you like this then."

Sora's face began to turn red, lack of oxygen making him dizzy, he attempted slashing at the arm, but to no avail. There three arms to swing at, his vision becoming black. _Am I going to die?_ He thought to himself. _I can't die... I have to... Survive... For... Kai... ri..._

His thoughts became clouded, his body going limp. Then a loud noise sounded, a shout, and he could breathe again! His vision came back as he landed on the ground with a _thud_, breathing so deeply that his lungs hurt. He looked at Zachariah and saw a large hole where his face should have been, and looked up at the top of the canyon and saw three figures. Leon, Riku, and Kairi were standing at the peak, Leon's Gunblade smoking at the tip. "Guy's!" He said hoarsely, happiness written across his features.

"You two go help him out." Leon said, eyes still trained on the Shadow Legionary, who's head was reforming slowly. "I'll take care of him." He fired his Gunblade again, landing a shot in the body this time, blowing a large hole in the chest this time, staggering the Legionary.

Riku and Kairi, moved to Sora's side as Leon continued to blow holes in Zachariah. "Sora!" Kairi said worriedly, looking over his wounds. He was bleeding almost all over now and coughing up blood. "If only I knew a cure spell." She muttered angrily to herself.

"Breast... pocket..." He said, raising an arm to point in the area of where he was speaking. She acted at once, reaching and pulling out a Hi-Potion.

_So that's why he has so many pockets._ She thought as she made him drink the potion, his body healing accordingly. He stood up, Keyblade appearing in his grasp once more and surveyed the scene. Leon had abandoned the shooting and was now slashing at Zachariah, who was turning to land a hit on the General.

"Kairi, you stay here." Sora said as he turned to Riku. "Not going to pass out on me again are you?" He said smirking at his friend.

Riku snorted. "I'm more worried you won't get to fight in this round." He said, summoning Way to Dawn and charging with Sora into the fray. All three of the warriors seemed to be to much, they were all slashing and smashing, casting spells and firing shots, and it seemed the Legionary's armor couldn't take anymore hits.

In a scream of pain and a burst of shadows, Zachariah sat on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth, panting. "Damn you..." He said quietly. He looked up and saw three Keyblades and a Gunblade pointed at his face. "Umm... Parley?"

"Tell us what we need to know." Said Riku, who pointed Way to Dawn close to his nose, his eyes going crossed to keep looking at it. "What are you planning?" He demanded.

"Me personally or..." Kairi smacked him on the head with the flat of her blade. "Ouch! Okay okay I'll tell you... We want hearts." He said rubbing his head. Now looking at the three Keybeares in turn. "Do you know how much power hearts hold? With enough hearts, enough power, one could per say, become a god... A God more powerful than anything imaginable."

"You're deluded, no man can become a God." Leon said. "God's don't even exist." Sora thought about it for a moment, and he had actually met gods in his time, though now didn't seem like the time to say it.

"True no man can, but my King is no ordinary man. He's practically a God like that fool Nathaniel or my Captain haha!" He began to laugh then, and that left the four hero's stunned.

"Night Slash." Said a voice, and Sora saw from the corner of his eye, something black and scythe like, cut into Leon's back. He yelled in pain, and Zachariah made his move, kicking Sora in the gut and jumping over the group to jump to the top of the chasm. There at the top, stood the man from Donald's projections, one katana free and held at his side. Zachariah jumped up to meet his ally.

"Boy am I glad to see you Raven." He said smiling at the taller man. The man known as Raven, didn't bother to remove his hood, or even give his friend an answer. He stood and watched at the three Keybearers took stances and Leon grunted in pain, large bleeding cut in his back.

"Zachariah." He said, not taking his eye's off the sight below. "They interrogated you. What did you tell them?"

"Nothing important." Zachariah said shrugging, taking a few steps forward. "Nothing to be concerned about. Now with you here, we can beat these brats no problem."

"I see." Said the hooded man, who still didn't move. "In that case." And in one fluid motion, he forced his katana right through Zachariah's chest! Zachariah blanched in pain, blood flying from his mouth, shock evident on his features. The warriors down below were in just as much shock. "Your mission was to kill the Keybearers, and you failed. You even gave up information in the hopes of keeping your life. The Captain sent me here to eliminate you, you have no use to the Legion anymore."

"Please Raven." He said, falling to his knees as Raven drew the blade from his back. "Please..." Raven then reached a shadowy hand into his chest, and ripped out a heart black as night, as Zachariah's body slipped away into nothingness. The Heart hovered in his grasp for only a moment before vanishing into a black aura.

"How could you?!" Sora called up at the man, rage steaming out of him. "He trusted you!"

"He was your friend!" Kairi yelled, looking just as angry as Sora. "And you killed him!"

"What difference does it make?" Said Raven, sheathing his katana on his belt. "You were going to kill him anyway, why is it so bad that he died quicker at my hand? He was foolish to trust in me, believing in others is a waste of your time and power."

"How can you say that?" Sora said, shaking violently now. "Nothing can stop me when I fight for my friends! I'll stop anyone who tries to hurt them! How could I live with myself otherwise?" He said, moving forward, pointing his Keyblade at Raven. "You're the one who's weak, killing your friends like that."

"You speak of friendships and power, yet you still think that that is real power. We are all soldiers in one way or another, I followed my orders just as you were going to. In this way; we are the same."

"We're nothing alike!" Riku shouted at him. "We aren't murderers who kill their friends!"

"How hypocritical Riku." Raven said, boredom ringing in his tone. "How many times did you attempt to kill Sora? You and I might as well be the same. You killed how many innocents for Maleficent?" Rage shone in Riku's face then. "Know this children." He said, a Corridor to Darkness appearing behind him. "Bend your knee to the true King, for he is coming." And with those words, Raven vanished.

**KH:HD**

The next few hours were spent in goodbyes and explanations of what had happened, and the journey the trio had ahead of them. "Please Princess." Said Mr. Matchlock, worried expression across his face and sweat coming from his brow. "Please stay here where it's safe. We have guards to protect you and the kingdom needs a strong Queen like you."

"It's your call Kairi." Said Leon, who was leaned against the wall, shoulder pressed against it. "Stay or go, we all know you decide."

"Thank you for your kind offer." She said, bowing to the council and two soldiers in front of her. "But I think I'm not ready to run a kingdom yet. Besides," She wrapped her arms around Sora and Riku's shoulders. "These two knuckleheads need me. I can't let the Legion of 7 destroy other peoples homes."

"The Princesses word is law!" Shouted Michel as he bowed. "All hail Kairi Haru, first of her name, soon to be Queen of Radiant Garden!"

Ash punched him in the head. "Give it a rest would ya?"

They all shared a laugh as the trio boarded the Gummi Ship and headed off to a new destination, no matter the cost of what was to come.

**Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm late as usual! But I made the longest chapter I've ever produced (confetti blast and applause) Thank you thank you! But now on to a short narrative! I have good news ladies and gents! At the 10****th**** chapter of this story, I'm going to release the "What if?" Saga, which is where I create stories based on what if's of Hearts Desires. I'll give you a hint on what the first one's going to be about. Kairi never leaving Radiant Garden. Should be a blast!**

**Also, be sure leave some reviews on this, or other chapters, not bad ones please. If you don't like it, don't read it. Now on to the preview!**

**One Legionary down, Six to go. Our hero's make some time to visit Beast to warn him of the oncoming assault that's bound to hit, but what they find is far more shocking than they thought. Riku has to face a ghost of his past, and Sora has to save him from a friend and fight off a foe.**

**Next time on Hearts Desire: Battle for Beasts Castle! Riku's Hidden Trial!**

_**I have to fight for them, they're all I've got left! I'll protect everyone with my power!**_

_**-Riku Asa**_

**The Doctor, Signing off. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire**

**Chapter 9: Fight For Your Hearts! Riku's Hidden Trail!**

**(Yes I get that I changed the title for this chapter, but how unoriginal is it for me to use "Battle For-" Twice in a row? So BAM new title! Enjoy.)**

Riku was laying in bed, thinking about what had happened hours before. The death of Zachariah and the words Raven had used to taunt him. _He and I are nothing alike_. Riku thought solemnly. True, he had done some horrible things in his life, but now he was trying to make amends for what he had done. Trying to free himself from the binds his younger self had gotten him into. He turned his head over to the clock on the bedside table.

4:56. It had been over eight hours that he had been in here here, unmoving on his bed, lost in his thoughts. "Might as well get up." He mumbled to himself. He sat up and threw his long legs over the borrowed bed, stretching slightly as he moved to the door. "I need some coffee." He said, opening the door and turning towards the kitchen. It was his guilty pleasure, the taste of black coffee, and most days it was one of the few reasons why he had energy in the morning unlike Sora. He trudged his way into the kitchen and found a shocking sight.

It was Kairi. Kairi standing at the stove, cooking breakfast. At 5:00 in the morning. Yet she was humming something, something that seemed familiar to Riku's ears. A rhythm he could recall, and words from a time he had forgotten.

"As we stand, waiting for the time." He could hear her singing now. "We shall always know, that I know the next line. And that evil is wrong... And that it's darkest before the dawn." Riku was then sucked back into memories of a time he thought he forgot. He was a young boy, only 4 years of age watching as his father, a man who looked exactly like his son, save for the hair, which was a light blonde, strum on an acoustic guitar, singing softly to himself.

"-, he called again." Said his mothers voice, his fathers name muffled by noises.

"And that evil is wrong... And it's darkest before the dawn." His father finished, turning to his wife. "Well what's he wanting to do today?"

"Something about a fishing trip dear."

"Can I go dad?" Said a younger voice, Riku realized with a jolt that it was his own voice. He looked over to his left and saw a younger version of himself.

A laugh sounded from his father, a warm laugh filled with mirth. "Sorry son, but you know fishing is where daddy and Sora's dad go to uh, catch dinner." His mother slapped his father on the back of the head.

"Try not to come back to 'full' dear." Again the laugh sounded, and his father faded to nothing but a fog that surrounded his vision.

"Dad! Dad wait! Take me with you! DAD!"

"Riku! Riku wake up!" Shouted a voice, then pain in his face, and Riku's eye's shot open. Kairi sat next to him, eye's filled with concern. "Riku are you okay?"

"Kairi..." He said, out of breath. "It was... That song... You were singing... Dad used to..." Riku was in shock at what he had just seen. Riku never spoke of his father, he barely even spoke of his family in general. If he did, it was never to in depth always a one word answer or he would deflect it with humor.

This was the last memory of his father. The next day, Sora's father had apparently sailed back, Riku's father dead. It was two weeks later that Sora's father left. After that, it was an unspoken rule to never bring up fathers between the two. Kairi had also agreed to the deal even though she was living with the mayor at the time.

"Riku..." She murmured quietly. He met he soft gaze with one of fear and complete sadness. "I understand that you miss him. I miss my family to."

_Miss him?_ He thought to himself, still gazing into Kairi's blue orbs. _Who wouldn't miss their father sometimes?_ Riku still remembered how his father had died, and how bad his mother had wept when Sora's father had delivered the message, still covered in his friends blood.

"We were camped for the night on some small island, the storm forced us over there." Sora's father had said. "Our fire had all but burned to ashes, when one of the smaller trees had collapsed and landed on him, a branch getting him here." He had pointed to a gaping wound, where it was apparent his father had bled out through. "I tried to cauterize the wound with the ashes but it was to late..."

That was the last time Riku ever saw that man, he took off without a word two weeks later, leaving his own son fatherless.

"Kairi?" He asked, getting to his feet and turning slightly red at what they had gone through. "Why are you cooking?" He said in an attempt to change the subject. It was a curious sight at 5 in the morning to see Kairi in an apron moving about the kitchen with such ease.

"Oh!" She said, suddenly remembering that she was indeed cooking. "Well just yesterday.. About Zachariah and Raven... I couldn't sleep and I remembered that we were headed towards Beasts Castle, so I thought I'd bake them something special to welcome us in." She said, hiding the lie with a smile.

"You honestly think a cake is going to get them to forgive me?" Riku said in a kind manner, shocking Kairi. It was no secret that Riku had caused harm to the citizens of the castle, particularly to Beast and Belle themselves, so it was also no surprise to see that Riku wasn't to excited to go get his throat torn out by a 500 pound monster of a man. "Trust me, I'm sure either I'm going to die today, or be thrown in some cell for the rest of my life." He said smiling.

"Beast obviously has not tried my cooking." She said laughing, and Riku laughed with her, trying to hide his own nervousness back with the laughter.

**KH:HD**

The Gummi Ship landed at midday, letting the inhabitants walk safely across the bridge that adjoined the magnificent castle, Kairi holding a small red box. Thought the castle seemed different to the eyes of Sora, it wasn't as dark and gloomy inside, there were lights shining in the windows. Sora walked up to the front door, turned to his two friends, and knocked on the massive doors.

No answer.

He knocked again harder now. They began to hear an annoyed voice from the other side of the doors. "Yes, yes I'm coming." Said an agitated voice of a large portly man with a mustache. "Sora!" The man exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh..." Sora began, not really sure what was happening. "This is Beast's Castle, right?" He asked confusedly as the man ushered the three hero's inside, not even looking at Riku or Kairi.

"Yes it is sir, yes it is!" He said yet again as he looked at Sora. "Come now, I'm sure you cannot forget me so easily. I mean how else would you have saved the Master without me?" Said the man.

Sora rubbed his chin and thought, when it struck him. The man was the spitting image of the clock Cogsworth. "Cogsworth?" Sora said incredulously and the man nodded hastily. "But how?"

"It was all thanks to you and the Master, we're all normal. The spell is broken!" He said laughing, looking rather pleased at the thought. "But of course I must go and get the Master, he will be so pleased to see you." He said as he made a hasty retreat out and up the stairs calling for everyone to gather in the main hall.

"Well..." Kairi began, almost in shock at what had happened. "This is..."

"Different." Riku finished for her. "I expected a fight and being thrown into a cell by now." He said, rubbing his forehead in relief.

"Maybe they forgot?" Sora said hopefully. "I mean, a lot of crazy things have happened here so who knows, right?" Sora then walked a few steps forward and looked around, I knew something was different." The hall wasn't dark nor menacing anymore, in fact it was bright and welcoming as if it were saying 'Come inside and enjoy your stay.' "It looks nicer here."

"Sora!" Said two voices, one female and the other a male. Sora turned and saw Belle, wearing here normal clothing, running down the stairs to greet her friend. The other was a tall man, brown hair coming down to his shoulders in fancy garb, a rapier strapped to his belt, he too was running. "It's great to see you." Said Belle, happily looking at Sora, then turning and giving a hug to her fellow Princess of Heart.

"Indeed it is Sora, and Kairi as well. I'm glad to see that you are both safe." Said the unknown man, looking happily at the two.

Sora looked blankly at the man before he took the time to notice certain things. The eyes, the hair color, they were the same as... "Beast!" Sora exclaimed happily, shaking hands with his old ally. "You certainly are different than I expected."

"Actually it's Adam now, Sora." Said Beast, or rather, Adam. He starred around the room saying "Cogsworth had informed us that you a had a third companion, where-" He cut himself off as his eyes landed on Riku, who was standing in the shadows leaned against a pillar. "You!" Adam shouted as he drew his rapier, stepping in front of Belle, who looked horrified. "How dare you show your face in my castle!"

"See Kairi," Riku began, eye's locked with Adam's, both starring the other down. "I knew he wouldn't accept me."

"You thought for a single moment that I would?!" Adam shouted in absolute fury. It was apparently all he could do to not lunge out and stab Riku. "Get out!"

"Adam!" Sora shouted, stepping in front of the two, arms held wide to the sides. "Riku isn't apart of the darkness anymore! Riku has saved a lot of people now! He's changed!"

"People don't change." Adam said darkly, eye's alive with malice. "People never change, they may act different, but in the end, nobody truly changes. I was the Beast for the longest time, yet that **thing**." He emphasized the word coldly. "Is the real monster."

"Adam..." Kairi muttered, tears showing slightly in her eyes.

"He's right." Riku said, causing everyone to look at him. "People never really change do they? I still use the powers of darkness even though it's the power that nearly destroyed everything I care about. I gave into the darkness to where I lost my body, twice. I let Ansem come in, and I let Malificent use me as a pawn. So here." Riku said, getting on his knees hands outstretched. "Take me prisoner, throw me in a cell."

Adam grunted in agreement, motioning for Cogsworth to take Riku away. "Riku!" Sora shouted as he moved towards his friend.

"Hey," Riku said smiling towards Sora and Kairi. "I'm a big boy, I'm sure I can handle a cell for a few hours. See you later." Riku walked away with Cogsworth, who shot an apologetic look to Sora.

"Umm..." Kairi began, getting Adam's attention. "I baked you a cake." She opened the box showing the cake. It was a small cake, white frosting covering it with roses surrounding it, and in blue writing that said 'Thank you for taking us in.'

"There's something we need to tell you Adam." Sora said, looking at Adam. "It's about the safety of this castle and it's people."

"What is it Sora?" Asked Belle, who walked out from behind Adam, holding onto his shoulder. Adam held her hand and looked into Sora's blue eyes.

"The Legion of 7."

**KH:HD**

Riku walked in silence with Cogsworth as he led him into the dungeon, Cogsworth shooting him fearful looks once in a while. "This is a lovely castle you have." Riku commented, trying to lighten the already awkward mood. _How often do you have to start a conversation while getting thrown in __prison?_ He thought to himself.

"Ah thank you, I do pride in it myself. Though last time you were here I doubt you had a chance to appreciate it's beauty." He said slowly, as though distrusting the simple compliment. After a few more minutes of silence, Cogsworth opened a small cell door and led Riku inside. "If you, erm, need anything, do shout." He said as Riku situated himself on the floor at the back. As the door was about to close, Cogsworth deemed it necessary to add "I'm locking the door."

"Go ahead." Riku added lightly, summoning Way to Dawn, and observing it's blade in silence before saying "I've got a key." To that, there was only a slam of the door and the locking of it. Riku sat in pitch blackness, oddly comfortable in it. _Darkness. My oldest friend._ He thought as he rested his eyes for a moment. _Why do I feel like the something is coming?_ He opened his eyes, gazing towards the place where he believed the door was. "What's coming?"

**KH:HD**

"So the Legion of 7 is going to target us?" Asked Adam as they stood around a small table in Adam and Belle's bedroom.

"We suspect they will, they are targeting people with strong hearts, and I see two right here." Sora said looking at Adam and Belle in turn. "I'm asking you guy's to watch out for anything weird and be safe." Sora looked at Kairi and she nodded. "We should head out soon, we have more people to warn about them."

"So soon though?" Belle said sadly. "You just arrived though."

"Yes Sora," Said a dark, familiar voice. "You just arrived, and the fun is about to begin." The group turned and saw the dark form of Raven, hood up and arms crossed. "You wouldn't want to miss the fall of this castle now would you?"

"You!" Sora called, summoning the Ultima Weapon, and starring daggers at the Legionary. "What are you doing here?"

"Testing the waters." He said, waving a hand in the air. "I see four powerful hearts, two of which are Princess' of Heart. Along with the heart of one Riku Asa? How could I not resist?" A black portal erupted behind him. "If you wish to see Riku alive, I suggest you find him before I do." Then he stepped back, allowing the darkness to take him.

"Riku!" Sora shouted, as he moved towards the door, turning to face the others. "Adam, watch them. If I'm not back in an hour then get them the the ship and get out of here." And with that, Sora left.

"Sora..." Kairi said, hands clenched tightly. "That idiot! How could he think for a second that I would even-" Her words were cut off when she felt something wrap around her waist. She starred down at the thing, which was nothing more than a black chain. She summoned her Keyblade and attempted to smash the chain, yet the instant her Keyblade made contact with it, it dragged her back. She looked for only a second as she saw Belle being dragged as well and Adam shouting their names, then darkness covered her sight.

**KH:HD**

Riku sat in silence, holding his breath, when he heard it. The sound of a door unlocking. "So you ready to go?" He asked, covering his eyes from the blinding light. Only he saw the figure wasn't Sora, nor Cogsworth, but it was someone covered in black clothing, large katanas in his belt. "Raven!" He shouted as he drew Way to Dawn up and stood, poised to fight.

"Good to see you haven't resigned to your fate." Raven said. "It appears all of the players are moving as they should."

"What are you going on about?" Riku said, inching forward slowly. _This guy beat Zachariah with one attack, I need to be careful._ He thought.

"Do you wish to save your friends? Defeat the forces I have placed and make it to the ballroom, only then shall you see Sora, Kairi, and Belle alive again." He turned on his heels and vanished into the darkness that appeared.

Riku stood still for a moment and then moved quickly. He ran out of the cell and encountered some the forces Raven spoke of. There were the generic brands of Heartless, Shadows, Large Bodies and Soldiers, yet there were two new kinds of Heartless Riku hadn't encountered before.

One was a large knight like being, black armor covering it's massive form, head exposed as a slobbering dog. It carried a large claymore at the ready, the blade at least 6' long with jagged edged near the hilt. These are the Hounded Knight Heartless.

The other was a short, unimpressive looking thing. It looked like a mix of a cartoon bomb and a mouse. It had no ears, instead large fuses took their place. These are the Suicide Mice.

Riku moved into action, springing right into the fray, Keyblade swinging in arcs and destroying large amounts of Shadows and Soldiers. He side stepped the blade of the Hounded Knight and slashed at it's face, bringing the massive Heartless down in one blow. Riku looked to his left to see that a Suicide Mouse had lit the fuses on its head, and it rushed at him. The explosion knocked Riku off his feet for only a moment before he was swarmed. In a flurry of wild swinging, he gained footing and destroyed the last batch of Heartless, and he rushed out of the room.

Upon entering the next room, an even larger group of Heartless, including four Hounded Knights, eight Suicide Mice, countless Shadows and Soldiers and even four Pale Scythes. "Great." He muttered as he gazed at the fray. "Just a little warm up." And he charged in yet again, Keyblade ready to destroy the creatures of darkness.

**KH:HD**

Sora rushed down the stairs, Keyblade swinging at the horde of Heartless beneath him. _There's so many. _He thought as he hammered through another Shadow. There were too many Heartless for one person to handle, even he was having trouble finding time to attack in between all the blocking he was forced to do. "Blizzaga!" He shouted as the shotgun of ice spurted from his Keyblade, destroying a large portion of the Heartless in front of him. They were almost immediately replaced however.

He heard fighting behind him and looked to see Adam fighting off the Heartless behind him. "Adam!" He said as Adam pressed himself against Sora's back. "What about Kairi and Belle?" He asked, eyes trained on the Heartless in front of him.

"They were taken by these black chains, I figured we needed to travel together to rescue them." Adam said, rage obvious in his tone.

"Then what are we waiting for? These guys are in the way!" Sora charged in without even thinking, knowing he had to save Kairi at all costs.

What felt like hours later, the room was clear. Sora panted heavily as he moved towards the door to enter the entrance hall, when he felt something wrap around his foot. He looked down just in time to see a black chain wrapped completely around his foot, and more chains sprouted from the ground, wrapping his arms and chest, dragging him into the darkness.

"Sora!" Adam called as he tried to reach his friend, but Sora was already gone. "Sora!" He yelled again, rapier clasped so tight in his hands, it threatened to break.

"Poor Adam." Said the dark voice of Raven, who materialized behind the Prince. "Everything you love is being taken from you. Your people, your friends, your love."

"Shut up!" He yelled, swinging his sword behind him. Raven caught the blade one handed and tossed it aside. Adam turned and looked as if he were going to beat Raven to death. "What gives you the right to come here and do this?!"

"Testing purposes." Raven repeated, waving towards the door. "I'm here to test the Keybearers, you happened to be caught up in their mess." Adam ground his teeth in anger. "I'm allowing you the same chance I've given Riku. To save these people, you must go to the ballroom, don't be late, otherwise I'll be leaving with many prizes Adam." He vanished into the darkness yet again, leaving Adam alone.

Adam raced off, knowing full well that the ballroom was only two rooms away. He grabbed a broadsword from a near by suit of armor, ripped the door open, and gaped at what he saw. The entire room was covered in Heartless, some familiar, others not. He saw the door on the other side of the room open, and Riku stepped out. Adam said to himself as he charged into the fray, leaping over the ledge to the bottom floor, Riku following suit.

They landed at the same time and fought through the wave of Heartless to meet in the middle, backs pressed. "Well this wasn't what I expected." Riku said lightly, almost laughing at the sight of the horde.

"Riku," Adam began, ignoring his remark. "I'll team up with you to destroy these things and save Belle, but under one rule."

"You're laying house rules down now? Great timing." Riku said sarcastically, counting in his head how many Heartless he saw.

"You can't use the darkness, only your blade, otherwise I'll destroy you." Adam said, turning his head to Riku. "Deal?"

Riku nodded his head in agreement. "Deal." The two then attacked, Adam grabbing Riku's arm and spinning him in a circle while Riku had his Keyblade stretched out, slaughtering massive amounts of Heartless. Adam tossed Riku into the air, drawing the broadsword and swinging at Heartless.

Riku rocketed to the ground, swinging his Keyblade at anything he could reach. He dodged, and slashed, and dodged, and blocked. He couldn't count how many he was killing, but he saw that Adam was keeping pace with him. "So you do know how to use one of those!" He shouted as he destroyed a batch of Shadows.

"More than you know." Adam said as he swung the huge sword around in a circle. It seemed like ages before the duo had cleared the room. Both warriors were panting hard and finding it difficult to stay standing.

"How can we beat him like this?" Adam asked, barely able to hold his sword.

"We have to, we can't give up now right? We're so close." Riku murmured as he drew two flasks out of his pants, Elixirs. He tossed one to Adam and downed the other, feeling like brand new. The two shared a quick look and ran for the ballroom.

Riku kicked the doors open and the two stepped inside. The room looked basically the same, save for all the black chains with dangling people on them. In the center of the room, hanging from the chandelier were Sora, Kairi, and Belle, all three struggling in their chains. "Riku!" Sora called as Riku rushed in. "Get out! It's a trap!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, chains wrapped Adam and pulled him to the wall. "Adam!" Riku shouted, Keyblade at the ready.

Clapping sounded from the middle of the room, Riku turned and saw Raven standing in the center of the room, hands moving in a slow clap. "Impressive Riku, it appears you have the skill, the talent, and the drive."

"For what?" Riku asked, never moving his eyes from Raven. Raven removed his hood at that point to allow his face to show for the first time to the group. Riku was a little surprised to see the man's face, his aquamarine eyes meeting Raven gray.

"For the recruitment." Raven said, extending his hand towards Riku. "The Legion extends its hand to you Riku Asa."

"What?" Riku said, shocked at the notion. "What the hell do you think your talking about?"

"The Legion of 7 is short a member, and you are exactly what we need." Raven said, examining Riku with sharp eyes. "You are not one for light, ever since I saw you, I saw the darkness in your heart grow stronger, you have incredible power Riku, power that is wasted on these people. Power that is unfathomable, you could be the most powerful being in the universe if you so desired." He looked to Sora and Kairi. "Sora doesn't need you anymore, he and his little Princess are happy with or without you. Do you think you're wanted? Their love can blossom without you fine, as well as their skills. You aren't made to fight for the light, you are a warrior of the darkness. Join us, and we'll show you that power you have."

Riku stood stiff, looking down towards the ground, eyes locked on the tile beneath him. "Riku!" Kairi called down to him, her eyes alight with tears. "Please don't even think for a second about leaving again! We just got back together! All of us, we need each other! Who else will keep my secrets or make sure Sora's in line, or keep everyone safe?"

"Yeah," Sora called down. "There's no one else I can spar with, or hang out with, or talk about anything with! Riku you're like a brother to me! There's no way that a brother of mine would just go back to the darkness after fighting so hard to get out of it!" Sora said.

"I see..." Riku began, looking up at Raven. "You don't get it do you Raven? I will never join the darkness again! I've fought to hard to just go back! Look at them!" He pointed to Sora, Kairi, Belle, and even Adam. "These people I'd die for! I have to fight for them! Their all I've got left! I'll protect everyone with my power!" Riku stood at the ready. "I don't need the darkness, you are pitiful for even thinking I'd take that offer!" Riku stood at the ready.

"Foolish child." Raven said, drawing a katana and stood ready to fight. "I handed you the world and you turned it away, how weak willed."

"You're the one who's weak! You've threatened my friends, I'll kill you for that!"

"Try if you can boy! I am the one who shall break you, the darkest hour you've seen, Number 6 of the Legion of 7, Raven of the Night!" Raven then vanished in a blur, Riku barely blocking the attack he sent. "You see, I am the fastest member of the Legion of 7! My speed shall crush you!"

Raven was merely a blur, Riku almost missing the blocks, Raven moving to fast to pin down. Riku attempted a slash when Raven blocked it, finally coming into view. Raven punched Riku in the face sending him flying backwards. Riku stood and tossed his Keyblade in a spinning blur at Raven, who side stepped the attack. "Pitiful."

"Wasn't aiming for you." Riku grinned as Raven watched the chandelier be cut from the chain holding it, the black chains holding his friends and the citizens of the castle be destroyed. Sora tossed his Keyblade in a Strike Raid at Adam the moment they were released, freeing him as well. Adam rushed to catch Belle, as Sora did for Kairi. "Sora, Adam, get everyone out of here! Now!" Riku said, as he rushed back to Raven, Keyblade and katana clashing at every move.

"Lets go, now." Adam said, moving Belle and Kairi and Sora, and all the other people out of the hall. "We'll be back in a few moments Riku!" Adam called as he exited, trying to find safe refuge for his people.

**KH:HD**

Sora ushered another person out of the main hall, trying to speed them up. _Riku won't last much longer._ He thought as he pushed Chip through the door into Belle's old room. "Okay you stay here." He said to everyone in the room, which included Adam and Kairi. "I'm going to go help Riku and save this castle." He turned on his heels and attempted to close the door, when something stopped him. He looked at the floor and saw Kairi's white shoe poking out. "Kairi-"

"Don't 'Kairi' me!" She shouted as she ripped the door open, reveling a super angry Kairi. "Riku is my friend to you know!"

"Yes I know but-"

"No buts Sora, I swear I would have throttled you by now if I didn't love you." She said, not seeming to catch herself, nor realizing what she had said. Sora stood shocked into silence.

"You... What?" He said, mouth agape at the redheaded beauty before him.

Kairi pushed her way past him, taking a few steps forward, the turning her head and glared at the frozen Kayblade Master. "Are you coming or are you going to let Riku die?"

"Right! Yes ma'am!" He said, turning red and rushing after his long time friend. Everyone else in the room stood silent for a moment.

"Took them long enough." Murmured Belle, smiling slightly.

"Even I noticed how they felt." Chip piped up, gaining a small laugh from everyone.

Meanwhile on Riku's end, things weren't as laughable. Riku stood in a pool of his own blood, barely finding his feet to stand, his left arm hanging limp at his side, blood dripping from his fingers. He was panting and glaring daggers at his enemy, who stood unscathed, still gripping the single katana.

"You are more pathetic than I had previously anticipated." He said, examining the blood stained blade. "To think I handed you all the power you could ever dream of, and you are going to die right here and now." He said, removing his gray eyes from the blade. "Prepare yourself child." Raven began to steep forward, Riku to paralyzed by either fear or blood loss to even dream of moving away.

_So this is how it ends?_ He asked himself as his vision went blurry. _Killed by a lunatic with a sword. I suppose there are worse deaths._ He thought as his knees gave out and he dropped down on his hands and knees.

"Now die!" Riku grimaced, but no blow ever came, instead a warm touch feel upon his wounds, saying his name over and over. He looked over and saw Kairi stooped down beside him.

"You... Took... Your... Damn time." He said, grinning slightly and proceeding to pass out.

"Riku!" Kairi shouted, shaking the boy. "When will I remember to ask Sora to teach me Cure?!" She asked herself frustrated. She glanced up at the new fight that was brewing, Sora and the Legionary. Sora was on the attack, slamming his Keyblade over and over into Raven's katana, yet the Legionary seemed almost bored with the show.

"Is that all boy?" He said as he parried another strike from Sora, who was now trying desperately to get past Raven's seemly unbreakable blocks. "You are to weak to challenge-"

"Raven, that's enough." Said a cold voice from the rafters above. Raven immediately jumped back from Sora, sheathed his blade and saluted to something above them. "At ease Number 6." The voice said again, but it was familiar to the ears of Sora and Kairi.

"Who?" Kairi looked up and saw a man in pitch black armor, a long black cape on his back, and a black hood shrouding his face. "You're that knight from before!" She shouted to the man. _No._ She thought, taking a closer look at the man above. _The other guy had a red cape, and he didn't have a sword on his belt either._ The sword in question was hanging loosely from the belt, its short edge shown to the world. It was a black and purple blade, with traces of blood red in it, the end of the blade being serrated and the hilt being shown as a cutlas like grip. All in all, the sword was as terrifying as the man.

"Was the test worth your while Raven?" The Unknown said, turning his attention to the man on the ground. "Did the Keybearers prove worthy of Judgment?"

"They did Captain. All three are worthy." Raven said, turning his attention back to Riku. "Though one won't be for much longer."

"This is why I don't send you to do a job, you get carried away." Sighed the Unknown, snapping his fingers. Kairi looked and saw Riku's wounds closing, some of the blood on his body even being cleaned off. "Now then." He said clearing his throat and turning his head to Sora and Kairi, Sora moving in front of his friends.

"Who are you?" Sora demanded, Keyblade shooting out to the side in his fighting stance. "What do you want?"

"You are in no position to be giving orders child." The Unknown said. "Though I'll humor you, I am the Captain of the Legion of 7, the Number 1 if you will. I have come with a single, once in a lifetime offer kid." He said, vanishing from his perch. Sora turned his head until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He couldn't explain what he felt next, it was this indescribable pressure on his chest, it was a struggle to breathe at all. "See that?" The man whispered, leaning next to Sora's head. "That is the power of my Heart overwhelming yours. Hear me and hear me well boy." He said, tightening the grip on Sora's shoulder, who was dropping to his knees at this point, gasping for air.

"Sora!" Kairi said, rushing to his aid, when Raven appeared in front of her, arms outstretched. "Move!" She shouted, summoning Peacekeeper and smashing the blade into his hand. He tossed the Keyblade away and punched her in the gut, sending her doubled over in pain.

"Give up." Was all he said as he released Sora's shoulder, the pressure lifted, Sora filling his lungs with air. "Come along Raven, we have other business to attend to." The Captain said as a portal to darkness erupted in front of him. "Goodbye, Sora Hikari." The Captain said, snarling his name out, and they vanished, leaving Sora and Kairi alone with an unconscious Riku.

What felt like hours passed by until Sora said "What did you mean back at Belle's room?" He asked, turning slightly red at the mentioning the recent incident.

Kairi shot him a confused look. "What do you mean?" She asked innocently.

"Well, you said... And then you... You know what Kairi? Never mind."

**KH:HD**

Sora, Riku, and Kairi were all gathered around the front door, Belle and Adam wishing them their farewells. "Riku." Adam said, turning to Riku. Riku turned and walked toward Adam, who extended his hand. "Thank you. Without your help, Belle would have been killed and this castle would be destroyed. Please accept my apology. Maybe people can change."

Riku looked down at the hand, then shook it. "Nope." Riku said smiling. "People don't change, we grow and learn from our mistakes, and we right the wrongs we've created. Being lost to the darkness doesn't mean you can never find your light. Mine was my friends, and yours." He looked to Belle, who shot him a quick smile. "Is her. Take good care of her Adam."

"You take good care of these two." Belle said, giving Riku a quick hug. "And never let the darkness run your life, remember your light Riku."

"Right." He said, and the trio left the castle. Back aboard the Gummi Ship, Sora had quickly plugged in the next world they were headed to, Halloween Town.

"We need to warn Jack." He said, explaining the situation to Riku and Kairi. "He'll probably think that the Legion of 7 will look great for the next Halloween performance." After that, the group had spent time doing odd things here and there, Kairi and Sora talked on the couch for a while, Riku had left for his room, saying he planned on sleeping for three days with no interruptions.

"We should probably get some rest too Sora." Kairi yawned, standing up and making her way to her room. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Kairi wait!" Sora said, jumping up quickly as she made her way to her own room. "There's something I need to tell you." But her door had already closed, sealing itself shut. Sora let his head hit the door as he stood sadly in the hall. "I... love you..." He said sadly, standing there for quite sometime until he decided standing there wasn't going to do anything. _All well._ He thought, shrugging slightly. "I'll tell her when the time is a little more appropriate I guess." He said, turning around and moving into his room.

Meanwhile on the other side of the door to Kairi's room, Kairi stood leaned against the door, hands clutching at her heart. _HE loves ME? _She thought to herself stunned. She had also heard him say of how he was going to tell her when the time was a little better, yet she couldn't get over those three little words he had said. "I wonder." She whispered as she moved to her bed, jumping up and down in excitement, laughing quietly as to not draw suspicion from her friends. "When will the time be right for him to tell me?" She went to bed that night, giddy with anticipation.

**Hello ladies and gentlemen! 'tis be I, The Doctor!** **I'm here yet again with another chapter for your reading entertainment! I have some astounding news that I am very happy to share with all of you, my beloved readers. I am now going to be taking any and all questions on the story, so PM me if you have a question, or maybe even future worlds that our hero's will visit, or the Legion of 7 themselves, I have relieved three of seven, not including the mysterious King of Darkness, so please feel free to PM me a question, don't ask in the review section, those questions will not be answered. **

**I would also like to throw in a very needed shout out to Lilly-Belle, who was my very first reviewer and has since then given love and helpful tips to me on every chapter I have produced, so a big thank you to Lilly-Belle!**

**And on a final note before I leave you, I will be posting the first of the 'What If' saga after I write, edit, and release Chapter 10, so please feel free to drop by there and give love to that second series I am producing. On to the preview shall we?**

**Sora, Riku, and Kairi have survived two attacks from the Legion of 7, but now they are traveling to warn Jack of the terrible power they carry, yet they only find that they need to save the Heart of... Santa Clause? The Legion makes it's move on Christmas on the next part of Hearts Desire. Next time on Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire, Fight for the Christmas Spirit! Kairi's Revelation and Riku's Hated Admirer!**

"_**How dare you hurt my friends! I swear I'm going to make you hurt 1000 times over for what you've done to him!"**_

_**Princess Kairi Haru**_

**The Doctor, Signing Off. **


	10. Chapter 10

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 10: Fight for the Christmas Spirit!

"Hey Kairi, I was just noticing how it's almost Christmas and you don't have a boyfriend... That's a horrible pick up line." Sora sighed heavily as he rested back on his bed, arms spread wide over the mattress. "Maybe I should just outright tell her?" He asked himself, but a part of him was shaking it's non existent head in disagreement. "Nope." He mumbled to himself. He glanced over at the clock. 12:13 it read. _Time flies when you have nothing to do._ He thought solemnly.

They had been flying non stop for three days now, and Sora was getting stir crazy. There was nothing to do on this ship besides eat or talk, and Sora had done plenty of both. He wished that the ship had a small training area at least, an empty room where he could work off his boredom in peace and quiet.

Here, in this room, he was alone with his thoughts, and those thoughts always went back to a certain red head across the hall. _Kairi._ It was hard to hide his feelings for the girl since the day he met her, even harder trying to get his feelings into cohesive words. It had been this way all the years ago when Kairi had arrived on the island.

Sora couldn't for the life of him remember the day, but save for a few flashes. A faceless man next to the beach next to a woman who was bleeding, a young child asleep beside her. Shouting from the man, and then Kairi asleep on their couch. Even then Sora thought she was stunningly beautiful. Sora had not seen hide nor hair of the girl after that night, when Riku had informed him of a new girl on the island, and sure enough it was the young girl with the red hair and bluish purple eyes. From then on, Sora was close to the girl, her best friend and her adviser. He was everything he could be for her and he hoped she felt something for him as well.

And she did.

Three words and a threat and now she was the only thing he could think about. _She is one of a kind._ He thought happily as he closed his eyes for a moment.

_In his dreams, Sora was once again surrounded by darkness, but this darkness was not like the one before. It was pitch black, no light anywhere. Yet standing in front of him was a man, a man Sora did not recognize. He was tall, standing at 6 feet with ease, with long brown hair that extended to his shoulder blades and was spiked near the back with blood red tinting. His eyes were a silvery green and seemed be alive with malice. He wore a long black trench coat with no sleeves, a blood red T-Shirt with a demons head stitched on the front, black slacks with combat boots, and black fingerless gloves. _

_ The man raised a finger to his lips, as if silencing any question Sora might have asked. "Sora." The man said, voice crisp and clear, deep and methodical as though he were singing while speaking. "Oh you and I are going to do great things together my friend." Sora didn't like the way he said friend, as if it were a joke. "But first Sora, throw away all of those attachments, all the things you care about. Take your time with that, don't worry. But soon, you and I are going to change everything." The man extended his hand. "And trust me kid, this is gonna be one hell of a party." As the man began to wave his hand, the world around Sora seemed to fall apart and he fell. Falling into the deep darkness below._

_ "Merry Christmas, Hero."_

**KH:HD**

Sora was startled awake, panting hard as he sat bolt upright, covered in sweat. "That... That dream again." He said to himself as he wiped sweat from his forehead. He glanced at the clock yet again, and it read 6:18. Sora had these dreams for the past three days, ever since Beast's Castle, they were all he dreamed, always different however. Sora got up, swinging his legs over the bed as he stood. "I need something to stop these nerves." He said as he exited his room. In the hall, he heard soft music from the kitchen, he walked down the hall and saw Riku, siting in his usual spot at the table, drinking his morning coffee. "Hey."

Riku glanced up from his cup, giving a small smile to his friend. "Morning," Riku said, grabbing a near by remote, clicked one of the buttons and the music stopped. "Didn't expect to see you up this early."

"Yeah well, weird dreams." Sora said as he sat next to his long time friend. "Very weird dreams."

Riku raised his cup in agreement. "Been there done that. What was this one, Kairi yelling at you in her underwear?" Riku teased as Sora's face shone bright red, seemingly at a loss for words. "I'm joking Sora, lighten up." Riku said as he slapped Sora on the back.

"Why do you think Kairi is all I think about, I can have other weird dreams too!" Sora said, slamming his forehead into the table.

"Speaking of Kairi," Riku began, taking another sip of his morning brew. Sora raised his head up, resting his chin on the table while looking at Riku. "Word in the ship is, you confessed your love to her."

Sora sat upright, face red as a lobster. "I- it's just- She said..." Sora trailed off, once again slamming his forehead into the table once again. "I said it, but not to her." Sora groaned softly, Riku patting his back in a resigned way. "What am I going to do?"

"Well telling her would be a good start."

"And how do I do that Mr. Smooth?" Sora asked sarcastically, leaning back in his chair.

"Style." Riku said, smiling softly at Sora's perplexed features. "Lets face it, you can hardly form words about your feelings for this girl, so you need to do it without words." Riku waited for a response, yet none came from the confused face of the Keyblade Master. "I'll say it slow then. From what you've told us about this place, there is a town that is centered around Christmas. Kairi likes getting gifts for Christmas." Riku waited, looking at Sora's sudden realization.

"I need to get Kairi the perfect Christmas gift!" He shouted, then immediately clamped his hands over his mouth, Riku shushing him. "But what does she want?" Sora whispered softly, removing his hands from his mouth.

"How should I know, why don't you ask this Jack guy, he's been there before right?" Riku said, glancing at his coffee, then taking another drink.

"Jack is more into horror than love." Sora said, scratching his chin slowly. "But maybe Santa would!" Riku coughed up his coffee at that point.

"Santa?!"

"Santa!"

**KH:HD**

It was three hours later when the Gummi Ship landed on the Halloween based world, the three exiting the ship in their new garb, courtesy of Sora. Sora stepped out in his usual vampire clothing, a smiling pumpkin covering one eye.

Riku looked half man and half beast in this form. He stood at the same height, but slightly hunched backed with long sliver fur coming from his back. His regular clothing was replaced with a white button up shirt and black pants, and dancing shoes. On his long fingers were small claws and from his shoes stretched his toes with claws as well, fangs poking out the side of his mouth. Riku became a half werewolf creature.

Kairi didn't get as drastic of a change as Riku did, her body type remained the same, yet her clothes made a drastic change. She wore a tall witches hat, the bend to the left at the point. She wore a black dress that extended to the middle of her thighs, a red button down shirt underneath. She had on long stockings that had intricate patterns of brooms and cauldrons stitched on, with black stiletto heels. Kairi had become a witch.

"Well, this is it lady and gentle-wolf." Sora said chuckling at Riku's new form, turning to the world and spreading his arms wide. "This is the nicest town filled with horrors I've ever been to, Halloween Town!"

"Was the change in body structure necessary?" Riku asked, clawing at his back in annoyance. "I feel like I've got fleas." Then he turned his eye on Kairi. "So what she gets to dress up like a little witch while I'm stuck as some monster?"

"This skirt is a little smaller than I'd like." Kairi said, blushing slightly while tugging at the bottom of the skirt sheepishly. "And don't witches need to know magic? I don't even know a simple spell yet!"

"Maybe the outfit was to help you ask for assistance!" Sora said, pumping his fist in the air. "And I happen to be a master of magic I'll have you know!"

"I think the shouting came from over here Jack!" Shouted a females voice, familiar to the ears of Sora.

"It must be the villain hiding in our beloved town!" Said another familiar voice. From around the corner, came a tall, skeleton of a man, who's face was indeed a skull, and a small woman who appeared to be a doll that was roughly stitched together. The man caught sight of Sora and exclaimed "Sora, my dear friend!" Jack Skellington, ran to his long time friend and ally and grasped his hands between his own. "Where are Donald and Goofy?" He said, examining the area around the small group.

"They had to stay behind this time." Sora said, looking at his friends. "But these are my other friends, Riku and Kairi." Sora said, motioning to the pair in question. Riku nodded his silent welcoming while Kairi answered with a quick hello. "Now what's this about a villain?"

"Well Sora," Jack began, motioning for them to follow him. "I was on my way to Christmas Town to give Sandy Claws a little advice on gifts-"

"I thought you were done with all of that Jack?" Sora said, slightly exasperated.

Jack shook his head wildly at the mention of that. "No I'm done giving gifts, I just wanted to help ol' Sandy. Anyway, so I was on his way to his workshop when I saw this young lady in a black winter coat standing just inside the window, taking to Sandy. I didn't think anything of it until she pulled out this huge gun! I saw this and ran inside, and she shot at me!" Jack said excitedly, like this were almost a game. "She said something about a Heart and Sandy, and jumped out the window and ran off!"

"A black coat and Santa's Heart?" Sora glanced at Riku and Kairi, who both nodded. "Sounds like the Legion of 7, Jack they are bad news."

"How bad?" Asked Sally, glancing at Jack worriedly.

"Very bad, and if they are after Santa's Heart, then we have to stop them now!" Kairi said, earning quick nods from everyone else.

"My point exactly," Jack began, leading them to the forest with doors to the other holiday towns. "Christmas is tomorrow and Sandy needs all of his attention focused on his work, but with an assassin on the loose, he can't rest easy. So we are going to be his bodyguards! Again!"

Riku looked at Sora with one raised eyebrow, Kairi giving him a look of excitement. Sora nodded his head firmly. "Let's be Santa's bodyguards, but first we have to look inconspicuous when we get there." Sora said, glancing at their current wardrobe. "We stick out."

"Right you are my friend!" Jack then motioned for Sally to bring him a sack that was by the tree. Inside were clothes of all shapes and sizes, some for men and some for women. "And for me!" Jack then pulled out from behind the tree, his very own Santa Claus suit! "With these we'll blend right in!"

"Hello, half man, half wolf." Riku waved his arms, trying to prove a point. "I don't think these will work for me."

"Hmm..." Jack pondered for a moment, then whispered something in Sora's ear, to which Sora smiled brightly.

"What?" Riku asked slowly.

**KH:HD**

On the other side of the door to Christmas Town, the entire town was hard at work, buzzing with the excitement to arrive in one day. Elves hard at work crafting toys in the workshop, Santa sitting before the fire, checking his list for the second time. It seemed all was peaceful in the quiet little town, all save for a small group. One was a tall, skeletal Santa Claus, smiling wide at the slightly horrified elves. The next was a young man, dressed as an elf, with strange vampire fangs protruding from his mouth, pumpkin decorated with a Santa hat as it rested over his eye, green replacing black. A young girl also dressed as an elf, her pointed hat now replaced with an elf hat with bells, green tunic over a red shirt and green and red leggings. And in the back, was a half wolf-man, dressed as a reindeer, pouting arms crossed over his chest.

"I. Hate. You." Riku said, whilst his friends giggled at his dismay. "Would it be so hard to change us all back into regular people Sora?"

"Not really," Sora began, smiling wide at Riku. "I just like to embarrass you is all." Sora then turned to Jack, raising his arms behind his head. "What do you think Jack?"

"Well," Jack began, stroking his fake beard in long slow strokes. "Riku still does kind of stick out, especially with his growling." Riku was at this point growling like an angry dog, as though this were to much for the experienced key bearer to handle. "I'd say let him change back to a human, let him dress up as an elf or something." Jack began to walk away from the group. "I'll be out patrolling the workshop, you three split up and find this evil doer!"

"Right..." Riku began, looking almost bored at the thought of patrolling. "I thought I was done with this when I stopped working for Maleficent." He muttered under his breath, now turning back to Sora. "I swear to God, if you don't change me back."

"Okay, okay." Sora began holding his hands up in his defense. "Give me a second." Sora summoned his Keyblade, pointed directly at Riku, said something under his breath that sounded like "Ungrateful, stupid, wolf-thing." And a beam of light appeared from the tip of the mythical blade.

Riku felt his claws retract to their regular form, his fangs became teeth, and his fur went back to it's regular state. Now the Master of Darkness was himself again, dressed as a reindeer no less. "Much better." Riku said, as he clenched and unclenched his hands. "Now, I'll be out in town square, why don't you two stay outside the big guys door." Riku said, pointing towards the door. "I'll be within ear shot, checking the perimeter, alright? And since you're not busy," Riku said, looking at Sora and crossing his arms. "Teach the woman how to use some basic magic, at least Cure,so I don't have to bleed out."

Riku leaned over and grabbed the near by bag full of clothing and moved towards the center of town. Sora grinned at Kairi, placing his arms behind his head and crossing one leg. "Well, since nothing's going on," Sora began, summoning Ultima Weapon as Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace* (AN1), as Sora pointed his Keyblade at her. "We might as well begin training in magic, okay so the first thing about magic is-"

**KH:HD**

Far away from the small Christmas themed world, in the realm of darkness, sat another world. This world was black as night, shrouded in a mystery and deceit, was the world of the Legion of 7, a world called Castle of Forgotten Light. Above sat a large heart shaped moon, which glowed a soft, pulsating red. Inside the dark and menacing castle, were six hooded figures sitting around a small oak table. At the head of the table sat the Legion of 7's Captain, Caesar, and at the farthest end sat Raven. "On today's agenda," Caesar began, looking to the only woman in the room, who was seated by Raven. "I believe Number 5 has something she'd wish to discuss."

"Thank you Captain," She began, looking to her fellow Legionary's. "Christmas Town is indeed filled with a powerful Heart my brothers. It contains the Heart of none other than Saint Nicolas himself." Scoffing could be heard from the seat directly to her right. She gave the man a look of death beneath her hood. "Something wrong Number 3?"

"Yeah," Said the man, deep voice filled with amusement. "Santa? Come off it Val, no need to be stupid about the whole thing, Santa is a myth." Said Number 3, looking to Val under his hood. "If he were real where's all that coal I should be getting?"

"Number 3, silence yourself." Said Caesar, and at once, Number 3's laughing ceased. "Better, continue Number 5."

"Thank you, as I was saying. Along with the Heart of Santa, it also contains the Heart of Jack Skellington of Halloween Town at the moment, and if sources can be trusted, the brats who bested Zachariah." Murmuring could be heard all around the table at this point. "Now I propose that we-"

"You shall go alone." Said Caesar, cutting her off and silencing the room. Shock was evident in her body language. "The fact of the matter is simply that I have already been given orders that need to be filled, your mission I was going to give you is being trashed, your mission now is to take any and all powerful Hearts you can acquire from that world. Your mission starts tomorrow Number 5." At the end of the order, a Corridor of Darkness erupted behind the woman and she stepped through.

"Now," Caesar began again, looking to each of his followers in turn. "The King has asked of us all to preform missions." He looked to Raven. "Find the Witch, she was last spotted at the Organization 13 headquarters, tell her we have come to collect our over due debt." Raven bowed and vanished. "Number 3, go fetch our science project from the Burial Ground, should they come close, unleash the beast upon the key-bearers. For now, that is all. Dismissed."

**KH:HD**

"See that Kairi? That's how you cast some spells." Sora said, taking a much needed break from teaching the basics of magic. It had been a full six hours and the two were very worn out, but Kairi could now cast basic spells of all sorts. _Like me, she's a quick learner._ Sora thought as he watched the woman in question try out another fire spell.

"Come on you two!" Called Jack from the workshop. "Time to get rested up, big day tomorrow on guard duty!"

"Great," Sora said as the two moved their way back to the house. "More guard duty tomorrow, and here I thought freezing my butt off out here was enough."

"No kidding." Kairi giggled at the distress of her friend. "So Sora," She began, fiddling with her fingers nervously while Sora looked at her curiously. "Well it's just... I was wondering if you... What do you want for Christmas?" She had put off shopping for the boy to long, and traveling certainly had not helped the procrastination at all, nor the fact that Sora never asked anything of her before.

"Kairi..." Sora said softly, almost as if he were torn between something. "I've got all I need, why would I ask anymore of what you've given me?"

"What do you mean?" Now she was confused, as far as she knew, she hadn't given him a thing.

"You'll see Kairi."

Sora smiled his best and ran inside, leaving the troubled girl alone with her thoughts. _I'll see?_ She thought as she walked slowly into the warm house, hearing nothing but mirth from inside the small home. Kairi smiled at the sight of Sora and Riku, who were dressed as ridiculous elves, stuffing their faces with a plate of cookies, warm laughter filled the room as Santa and Jack spoke. _Well it's not the Christmas I expected, but it's the one I wouldn't trade for a thing. _She thought happily as she sat in a near by chair and let her eye's droop slowly, until she was asleep, curled into a tight ball in the chair, smiling slightly.

Hours passed, days maybe, when Kairi finally opened her eye's. She was still in the chair, curled in a tight ball, but a blanket was on top of her making her uncomfortably warm. She looked around the room and saw that she was alone, yet a soft _Thud_ could be heard from outside. She stood up and stretched as she looked for the source of the noise. She opened the door and found Sora slamming his keyblade in a stuffed dummy, panting heavily.

"Sora?"

He didn't even acknowledge her existance, he kept swinging his sword over and over and over until the dummy finally broke, sending wood and straw in all directions. "No more of these dreams..." He muttered to himself. "No more dark places, no more weird man telling me to let everything go! I need to find it!" He yelled as he dropped his Keyblade as he fell to the ground.

She moved toward her friend and the boy she loved and touched his shoulder, he jumped and turned his head. "Kairi..." He began, as though he had seen something incredible.

"What's wrong?" She asked, soft yet warm, soothing his frayed nerves. "What are you looking for?"

"My light." He said, getting up off the ground and sitting instead in the snow. A late night time snow drifted to the ground as the two sat in the snow. "My light, it's gone, I think, and I don't know what to do. This man keeps showing up in my dreams, telling me to let go of everything I care about... Especially my friends, to cut the ties with everyone..."

"Sora..." Kairi began, feeling his hand land on hers. She blushed madly as she looked at him. "Sora?" His name was a question.

"I can't give you up." Was all he said as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute, and she heard him say "Kairi... I-" Then he was silenced by something.

Sora saw something glinting in the snow, something shiny with, a barrel? Like a... "Kairi get down!" He shouted as he turned her around in his arms, now protecting her instead of holding her. A loud bang and blinding pain and Sora was suddenly fighting to keep consciousness. _What? _He asked himself as he lied in the snow, grunting in pain. _I've been shot before and it never hurt this bad!_

"Well well well." Said a cold female voice from above. On top one of the houses was a small woman, only standing a mere 5'2", yet in her hands she held a monster of a pistol. "It seems my dark bolt did it's job. One down, two to go." Said the woman as she turned her hooded face towards Kairi. "You're next."

"Who are you?!" Kairi demanded summoning Destiny's Embrace yet again, letting the flowery Keyblade fit in her grasp with practiced ease. "What have you done to him?!"

"I've basically killed him girl." The woman said, glancing at her gloved fingers. "My dark bolt shall render him paralyzed, and kill him after that." The woman said brightly. "Now as for who I am. I'm the sniper above the war, the eagle in the night sky, Number 5 of the Legion of 7! Valentine the Dead-eye!" She then removed her hood to revile a young woman in her mid 320's, dark red hair not unlike Kairi, light brown eyes starring coldly at Kairi. She took aim. "Bye now!" She fired.

And Kairi blocked with her blade. "How dare you hurt my friends! I swear I'm going to make****you hurt 1000 times over for what you've done!" Kairi then charged into battle, Valentine taking shots with boredom, and Kairi hardly being able to block of dodge the shots. _This is bad._ She thought as she blocked another shot to her head with her Keyblade again. _She's not even trying!_

Suddenly, Valentine shouted in pain and Kairi saw none other than Riku! Riku stood calmly as Valentine jumped back, shooting now at Riku, who blocked all the shots with ease. "Tag out." He said as he walked towards Valentine, who was now gritting her teeth in frustration. "Go find a safe place for Sora, and leave. Now." Riku was calm as he watched his enemy with suspicion. Kairi then went to Sora's side, put his arm over her shoulder, lifted him up and moved inside the nearest house.

"Riku." The woman growled, then she smiled happily. "Is it really you?" She said extremely pleased to see him, his face made no change as he observed her. "Riiiiikuuuuu." She purred softly as she took a step closer. "Why wouldn't you join us?" She asked in mock sadness.

"Mostly because you're all evil and want to destroy the everything good that's left." Riku said simply. "Also I bet you don't pay that well." He smirked at her angry expression. " So stop teasing and start fighting, you didn't get to be in the Legion by just taunting and making stupid remarks."

"Right you are boy." She said as she trained her pistol on his face. "You make me sad to have to kill you, so please reconsider?"

"How about no."

"Wrong choice." She then began to pull the trigger at lightning fast speeds, forcing Riku to block and dodge at a moments notice. "Die boy!" She yelled, trowing back her cloak to revile a small machine gun, to which she placed in her right hand and squeezed tightly on the trigger.

"Whoa!" Riku said as he attempted to find cover. "Don't you ever run out of ammo?!"

"Not with these babies!" Valentine called as she let up on her assault. "Not now and not ever." Riku began to notice something strange about the fight he was having. It was straight forward, she didn't call upon powers of the darkness or any special moves, just rapid firing.

"Well I think I've already figured this fight out Valentine!" He called out, charging out of his make shift cover. She opened fire yet again, but Riku was spinning his Keyblade in front of him, forming the blade into a shield faster than she could process. Riku then was upon her that quick, now turning her ambush into a retreat. "See!" He called as he slashed at her again and again, not letting up for a moment. "You're pretty good at a distance, but useless close quarters." Then she vanished, literally gone. Riku turned his head in time to see she was at his side, pointing her gun directly at his head at point blank range.

"Well, not completely dear." She said, smiling evilly at him. "I have one special power, it's a little something called teleportation."

"Now that's just cheating." He said as he twisted his body, bringing Way to Dawn up in a black arc, but she was gone before he moved. He was now running as she was firing at him from all sides, almost unable to catch up with her. "No no no no no no!" He called as he was backed into a wall.

"End of the road, love." She said, point the pistol at him. "Sorry to make it end so soon, but orders are orders dear."

"Do me a favor, call it a dying man's wish or whatever." Riku said, smirking at Valentine. "Stop calling me by those dumb pet names, you psycho."

"How dare you!" She was about to fire, and end Riku's own life, when the gun flew from her grip in a blaze of flames. "What the?"

Kairi stood on the near by roof, tip of her Keyblade smoking. "Yeah about me making you hurt 1000 times over, I think I'll let Riku handle that."

Valentine suddenly looked in front of her, and there stood Riku. "You wouldn't hit a lady now would you?" She asked sweetly.

"Nope, but I'll hit you." He then stabbed his Keyblade right where she appeared, in front of her pistol, destroying the monstrous firearm in the process. "Two options, fight or leave." He said as he held his Keyblade to her throat, her shoulder bleeding profusely. "It's the holidays so I'm feeling generous."

"You shouldn't." She said coldly as she drew she sub machine gun, only to have the thing slashed by his Keyblade.

"Saw it coming." He smirked as he began to slash her. Her teleportation hardly helped her considering Riku was immediately on her the moment she did, she was taking to much damage to quickly. After a few minutes, she finally began to stumble and fall.

"Damn you..." She said in between breathes as a Corridor to Darkness appeared behind her. "I'll get you for this Riku!" She yelled as she vanished inside the Darkness.

"And a happy holidays to you too!" He yelled back at the retreating Darkness.

**KH:HD**

"What do you mean 'Nothing we can do?!'" Kairi shouted at Jack, who was raising his hands up in defense. Back inside Santa's house, Sora was lying on the couch, breathing heavily and grunting madly in pain. "You're a mage! So use some magic!"

"I can't." Jack said, looking back over at Sora. "I've tried everything I know, and sure I've stopped the bleeding but that's it. This is dark magic Kairi, and I'm not that experienced to handle something like that. I'm sorry..."

"No..." Kairi said, sounding broken, as though the entire world had collapsed. "No..."

"I'm a Master of Darkness." Riku said, moving to Sora's side and placing his hand on top of Sora's chest. "I'll draw it-" Then he paused, looking shocked beyond all belief. "What the hell kind of darkness is this?" He asked horrified. "That's unnatural, I don't know what I can do..."

"What's all the commotion in here?" Said a rough voice from the hallway. They turned and saw Santa Claus himself stepping through and examining Sora. "What happened here?"

"Sora got... Hurt..." Was all Kairi said before tears started welling up in her eyes. "Please Santa!" She yelled as she began to break down in tears, placing her head on Sora's chest and grabbing his shirt. "Help him! You have to! It's all I want for Christmas! That's it! I just want him!"

"I'm sorry deary, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. I'm not a healer in the magical arts, if Merlin or Yen Sid were here I'm sure he'd be fine. But they're not here... I'm sorry, this is one gift I can't give you Kairi."

Kairi cried harder and harder into Sora's spastic raising and falling chest. "Sora!" She cried into his chest, yet she didn't notice how he was beginning to breathe normally again, nor how there was a light shining across his body. "SORA!" She yelled and a pulse of light resounded across the home, all over the entire town, maybe across the world.

She felt strong arms envelope her. "I suppose you found one gift I wanted Kairi." Said the voice she though she might not hear again. She was still crying, but not as hard, nor because of sadness, but because of unfathomable joy. "My light. It was you the entire time."

"Sora..." She said, looking into his eyes.

"Merry Christmas Kairi." And there and then, Kairi experienced her first kiss with the boy she fell in love with.

"Well," Riku said awkwardly from beside Jack and Saint Nick. "Honestly, not what I expected coming here."

"I don't think anyone planned on this." Jack said, motioning for the trio to leave the couple alone.

"Might want to let them figure things out." Riku smiled then. "But I'll be damned if I didn't say that Sora found a pretty great gift for her."

**(AN1) So it turns out Kairi's Keyblade has a real name, so I've scrapped the original and used it's real title.**

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I would go with Merry Christmas but you know, things. Any way, thank you all for tuning in to this! My tenth chapter! We've hit a milestone ladies and gentlemen! **

**I have to put out a much needed thanks to every single person who has bothered to read this story, all of the reviewers and followers, I have to say that I really needed the boost to get this done. So thank every single last one of you for reading and enjoying, but our adventure is far from over my friends! In fact, we have merely begun our journey together, and I hope you will continue to join me in my quest to reach my goal... A sequel! **

**You heard me right! I have already made up plans for a sequel my friends, to which I've dubbed Hearts Despair. But let's not go into details now shall we? Pointless when I haven't finished the first one!**

**But of course I must say that I apologize for making you wait my friends, and I hope to not have it happen again. But it probably will. I have to say, this was a stretch for me to write, very difficult and very... boring. Valentine is not a character I have ever enjoyed writing for, even before I began this story. She's just bland and I do apologize for the horrible usage of her.**

**But now without further ado, the preview!**

**Sora and Kairi have shown their feelings for one another, yet is this the right time? The Legion of 7 gathers it's strength as our hero's find a world to relax and attempt to gather information. Ancient Chinese scrolls could hold the secrets of the Legion, but who stands in their path? Sora, Kairi, and Riku find themselves battling against old and new foes alike in the next chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire: Burning Secrets!**

"_**This is the place where monsters die, and even Immortals stand horrified of the secrets within."**_

**Nathaniel of the Key**

"_**Philosophy and logic, it's all we've got left when our imagination and drive die."**_

_**Riku Asa**_

**The Doctor, signing off.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire**

**Chapter 11: Burning Secrets**

Far away from the worlds of light, sat a world on the edge of nothing, The World That Never Was sat in it's simple beauty. Yet this simplistic castle was being tainted, black banners and spikes shrouded in Darkness shot from the walls and floor, making the once Nobody headquarters look almost diabolical. Inside the throne room, you could see the thirteen thrones had been removed, save for Xemnas' massive throne at the end of the hall.

There sat the witch known as Maleficent. She sat upon the throne, her henchman Pete standing next to the throne as she gazed into a large crystal ball that hovered in the middle of the room, the true forms of worlds hovering around inside, her eyes scanning deep within.

"Maleficent." Called a voice from the end of the hall room, the doors stood wide open as Raven stepped through, his right hand clasped around the hilt of his katana. "I've come for what I am owed, witch."

"Who do you think you are to speak to the Queen of Darkness in that way, huh?" Pete said, raising a fist at Raven, who managed a chuckle. "What's so funny wise guy?"

"'Queen of Darkness', I found it amusing is all." Raven said, chuckling softer as Maleficent gazed at him with cold eyes. "Glare all you like witch, but I come from the true Lord of Darkness." This made Maleficent flinch, her eyes glazed with fear for a split second then returned to hate.

"What does he bring me?" Maleficent's voice was crisp and clean. "What does this so called 'King' ask of me?"

"Watch your tongue, I am not so foolish as to not rip it out of your head wench." Raven's voice was icy cold, his grip tightening on the hilt. "I come to collect on our bargain made years ago witch."

"I gave you what you asked for-"

"Do not lie to me," Raven said raising a hand and silencing her. "You offered the girl as payment and yet she vanished Maleficent, right as I cut the life out of her father and slashed her mother."

"It is not my fault that you are incompetent, Raven!" She shouted as green fire erupted all around the room. Pete cowered in fear, yet Raven stood still. He raised his gloved hand higher, and snapped his fingers. The fire was put out only to be replaced with menacing black chains that surrounded the room. "How dare you!" Maleficent shouted, outraged at the appearance of the chains. "You dare break into my home and do this?!"

"You would dare to go back on a debt with us?" Raven said, the chains now twisting across the walls, looking more like black snakes. "You offered us the girl, now we want our payment."

"I do not have the girl!"

"That is obvious, considering a simpleton like you could hardly hold a castle, let alone the Realm of Light." Raven said, the chains now twisting and bending faster. "You came to us. We aided you in the capture of the Garden, and you couldn't even keep that! You failed at the gift and the payment. We. Want. Kairi." Raven said the last three words slowly, as if to make a four year old grasp the concept.

"How am I to get to her?" Maleficent said, her hands white from the grip on her staff. "I do not even know where she is!"

"She will be on the Land of Dragons," Raven began. "She and the other Key-Bearers shall arrive to take what Number 4 has gone to collect."

"And that would be?" Maleficent questioned.

"None of your concern." Raven finished. Behind him, the Corridor to Darkness came to life, and as he turned to step through, he left on these words. "You have one month, be grateful we give you this long." And with that he left, his chains dissipating as well.

**KH:HD**

One day previously, far off in another part of the galaxy, there on his strange world stood Nathaniel of the Key. He looked over the starry sky above, searching for something. His blue eyes landed on a world far off to the east, his gaze on the world faltered when he heard a loud _Thump_. Behind him, he felt a familiar presence, one of ancient power.

"Nathaniel." The figure behind him said curtly, his hood shadowing his face. Nathaniel turned his head to see a man he knew all to well. The man wore a hood but it did not mask the massive form beneath. He stood at a height of at least eight feet and was built like a bull, his cloak covering his shoulders and the majority of his back, but did not cover the hide shirt he wore, nor his pants or blacksmiths gloves and boots.

"You hide your face my old friend, I must ask why." Nathaniel said, turning to face the massive being. "Along with that, you never pay me any visits anymore, and how did you even get here to begin with?"

"Enough with the questions." The larger man laughed, giving Nathaniel a pat on the back that nearly knocked the former knight to the ground. "But please, let us warm ourselves in the castle." The large man turned and ducked under the doorway inside. Inside sat a large circular stone tablet in the center of the room, on it where small points, each with a name of a world next to it. The rooms walls were covered in maps and weapon designs, a large part of one wall was dedicated to a blueprint with the words "Pandora's Box" written underneath.

Nathaniel pushed through a near by door into a spacious living room that contained three large couches, four plushy chairs, and a large square oaken table in the middle. All around the room it was lively and homey, a fire blazing in the hearth and one or two pictures on the walls. "Take a seat." Nathaniel said, ushering the large man to a couch. "Now please," He began as he took a seat in the chair opposite the man. "Why have you come Edric?"

"Must you call me that?" Edric moaned under his hood. "You know for a fact that's not my real name Nate." He let out a slight Scottish accent with these words and Nathaniel smiled for a moment. Edric removed his hood to revile the face underneath. He was a long faced man with deep purple eyes and slightly crooked teeth, his forehead deep with creases of thought, his hair was a white color and was mostly bald save for the back and sides of his head. "We're in trouble Nate." He said coolly, his accent coming out more.

"The Legion of 7 is hardly trouble for a man like you Ed." Nate said, gazing into Edric's purple eyes. "Plus I've already got people taking care of the-"

"I saw the blueprints for my box Nate." Edric said, cutting Nathaniel off suddenly. "It's not going to hold forever ya know." Edric then reached into his pocket and pulled out a large flask and took a long drink from it.

"There are only five people in the entire universe who know that the box even exists, let alone of where it rests." Nathaniel said, his voice not hinting at the nervousness this discussion was giving him. "The Pandorica shall stay closed."

"How many ridiculous names does that device have?" Edric sighed. "The ultimate armor, the inescapable prison, Pandora's Box, the Pandorica. It's all ludicrous if ya ask me Nate." Edric then pulled out something else from his pocket. "But enough about the past, the present is important, and speaking of presents." He handed Nathaniel a fading piece of paper.

"What is this?" Nathaniel as he examined the paper closely. "A map?"

"Not just any map," Edric began, leaning over and placing the paper on the table between them. "This is the only map to lead you to the Dragon Bone catacombs."

Nathaniel's eyes widened at the words. "Not possible," He began as he examined the paper. "Those catacombs are unknown to the worlds, a myth to send treasure hunters to their doom."

"It's a real place all right, seen it once myself." He said, smiling broadly at Nathaniel. "Ya still remember the old saying lad?"

"Of bones of old, where horrors unfold, shall you find treasure untold, in a place few shall go, and only those who are bold. There you shall find, the place where..." He paused at the last bit, strained for words. "Where immortals shall die." He finished softly, his eyes closing at the thought of death. "But if you have seen it, surely the legend can't be true." Nathaniel said, gazing back into Edric's purple eyes. "Immortals cannot die in a place like that."

"I never said I went in." Edric said, looking slightly stunned at the notion. "I ain't no fool laddie, and sure as hell not stupid." Nathaniel's eyes traced over the paper. "But rumor has it that the Legion is tryin' to find a way inside. Tryin' to find the Heart Scroll from what I hear."

"What?!" Nathaniel stood up, anger flashed in his face, then it was replaced with horror. "The Heart Scroll is hidden there?!" His eyes were wild now, looking at Edric as he took another drink from his flask.

"How should I know," He began, looking into his flask. "Ain't never been inside." Nathaniel slapped his hand into his forehead exasperatedly. "But," Edric began, turning his gaze back to Nathaniel. "Look at the heading boy, it'll tell ya all ya need to know." Edric stood up and walked to the door again and said. "Don't be a stranger, come visit me at the Forge. We'll catch up sometime lad." Then out of no where, Nathaniel watched as Edric whistled loudly, and the sounds of a loud engine sounded. Edric left through the door leaving Nathaniel alone in his living room.

"The heading?" He asked himself as he turned his attention back to the map. Sure enough, there at the top of the page was the name of a world. "The Land of Dragons huh. So that's where it is." He stood up and walked towards his door, his Keyblade flashing to life in his hand. He pointed it at the door and stopped, looking slightly confused. _I can't go in there without knowing the layout._ He thought. Sure he was one of the most powerful beings in the universe, but even he feared this place. _No not that place... I fear him_. The one man he couldn't face. One he would one day have to confront, but that day wasn't today. _I can't run from the children any longer either._ His mind was resolved as he pointed his Keyblade to the door. "The Key-Bearers Gummi Ship!" He said as a beam of light shot from his Keyblade, the door shining a brilliant white for a moment, then he opened the door and stepped through.

**KH:HD**

Sora sat happily in the living room of the ship, Kairi resting peacefully on his shoulder. He still couldn't believe he had worked up that amount of courage to tell her in such a way. _Those dreams are gone too._ It was true, the strange man from his dreams had completely vanished, for the past two days Sora was as happy as a man was allowed to be.

"Hey Sora!" Riku called from the cockpit. Sora looked towards the room in question and gently laid Kairi off of his shoulder and onto the couch. He moved quietly towards the cockpit and inside sat Riku in the seat to the right, starring at the screen confusedly.

"What's up?" Sora asked as he stood next to Riku, looking for what Riku saw on the screen.

"The machines broken." Riku said, leaning back and stretching. "It's saying that there are four people on the ship and not three.

"The machine is not broken Riku." Said a voice from behind. Both Sora and Riku stood up, their Keyblades flashing into life as they took their fighting stances. There stood a man clad in armor black as night, his red cape behind him and his hood raised. "Impressive response time boys." The man complimented, nodding his head in approval.

"Wait," Sora began, recognizing the man from somewhere. "You were at Disney Castle when we fought Zachariah!" Sora said, lowering his guard. "You saved Kairi." Just then, the man vanished and reappeared in front of Sora, grabbing his hand holding his Keyblade.

"Lesson one, never lower your guard." The man said as he starred into Sora's blue eyes.

"Sora!" Riku shouted, and as he was about to strike, Sora raised his hand to stop Riku.

"From what I've seen," Sora began, not taking his eyes off of the man in front of him, nor reacting to his grip on his arm. "You could probably kill me with no problem, and if you were my enemy, you would have done that."

The two shared silence for a moment, until the man let go of Sora's arm. "Clever on your part Sora Hikari." The man said, keeping his eyes on him. "But Riku still gets the gold star." Just then, a loud smack was heard as the man began to tumble forward grasping his head in pain. Kairi stood, Keyblade raised to a fighting position, panting slightly. "Son of a-" The man said grasping the back of his head and swearing under his breath. "Apparently, Kairi can hit pretty damn hard."

"What do you want?" Sora asked the man as he began to stand up straight again, swearing softly as he went. "And how did you get in here?"

"Is this anyway to treat a guest?" He asked, annoyed. "No 'Hello's' or 'Thanks for saving the girl I have a secret crush on.'"

"Not so secret anymore." Riku corrected, smiling slightly. "See," He said, looking to the new couple. "Even complete strangers noticed." Both Sora and Kairi went red and turned away.

"Right," The man said, pushing past the two and into the kitchen where he placed a piece of paper. "On to business." The three sat around the table as the man began to speak. "First of all, I believe introductions are in order. I know you, yet you do not know me. You will know me only as Knight, and I am here to aid you in the destruction of the Legion." He said, looking to the three in turn. "You are all capable warriors, but now you are dealing with more powerful beings, and they will only get stronger if they find what they are looking for."

"What are they looking for?" Kairi asked, looking towards the paper, forehead scrunched slightly. "And what's the paper for?"

"Both excellent questions." Knight commented, nodding his hooded face in approval. "I'll answer them as such. The Legion is searching for an old relic of a time long since over, the Heart Scroll. Legend says that the Heart Scroll holds knowledge untold in the ways of the Heart, powers even greater than that of Kingdom Hearts." Knight lowered his head until he starred at the paper.

"Hearts are power, and power corrupts. I'm sure Kingdom Hearts is only the tip of the iceberg kids. I'm sure that the scroll holds the secret that Xeph has searched for his whole life. The knowledge on becoming a God."

"Xeph? You mean that guy with the armor like yours?" Sora asked, clenching his fist in anger. "That guy is really powerful isn't he?"

Knight starred at Sora for a moment before answering. "The man who are referring too is not Xeph." Sora looked up at him in confusion. "Xeph is far more powerful than that man. No, the man you speak of is Xeph's right hand man, his name is Caesar."

"So Xeph is stronger than Caesar?" Riku asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "From what Kairi and Sora have told me that guy is one of the most powerful enemies we've ever seen."

"Caesar's power rivals that of my own." Knight said, gaining shocked looks from all of the inhabitants. "No wait, I take that back." A relieved sigh passed through the group as Knight rubbed his chin. "He's stronger."

"Enough of these games Knight!" Riku said, slamming his fist onto the table. "Answer this; why the hell should we trust you? You could be a Legionary for all we know or work with them to gain our trust!"

Knight nodded his head in agreement. "Excellent Riku," He said, looking at Riku under his hood in approval. "You know you'd make for a fantastic adviser, or even a general."

"I said enough! Answer the question!"

Knight once again nodded, extended his right hand toward Riku, and in his grasp shimmered the Kingdom Key! "These Key's were once used for darkness you know." Knight said, examining the blade as the others stood stunned. "Long ago, in the old Keyblade War. I'm not much of an expert on the subject, but now they are a tool used for any and all who carry the strength of their Heart. I've traveled down the path of darkness Riku, much like you, and I found what I could call light. But that was a long time ago." Knight said solemnly. "Even now I hide from my past, all the horrible things I've done, things I couldn't prevent or things I just wouldn't. Kairi's entire family being killed, leaving her alone in the world. Sora's father leaving him for unknown reasons. Riku's father dying in a tragic accident."

"How do you know all of this?" Kairi asked softly, almost in awe and in fear of what she was hearing.

"I've lived a long time by myself Kairi." Knight said, his head tilted down, as if he were shamed. "I am not natural, I am cursed to be alone for the rest of time, yet you see things from where I live. I've seen three children, very similar to you three, suffer greatly as they also traveled the path of the Keyblade Wielder. Our lives are not meant to end with 'happy ever after', we are meant to die fighting for the protection of all. That is why we exist, Kairi."

Silence fell over the room, a deep silence, impenetrable.

"Why?"

It was Sora, breaking the tension with one word. "Why do we not get 'happy ever after'? We're protecting everything in the Realm of Light, that's a pretty happy ending to me." Sora said, looking at Knight dead in the eyes, or where he could guess his eyes would be, and smiled his trademark smile. "You've spent way to long alone Knight, you need to open up more, be a little more positive."

Knight was stunned at these words. _Is he really going to be this friendly to a man he barely knows? _Knight thought as he stood there, looking at Sora's smiling face. _I see his father in those eyes, but he's got more of his mother I think._ Knight thought as he stood up straight.

"Time for me to tell you where you will be heading next kids." Knight said and handed the map to Sora. "You'll be heading to the Land of Dragons, there you will use this map to find the Dragon Bone catacombs."

"Sounds easy enough." Sora said examining the paper. "Piece of cake."

"Not so Sora." Knight said, holding his hand up. "These catacombs are legendary for being notoriously dangerous, so much so that even immortals dare not trend on these grounds for fear of death. No one has ever stepped out of that place alive, though I get the feeling if anyone can, it'll be you three." Knight stood, turning towards one of the doors down the hall a brought his Keyblade up.

"What are you doing?" Riku asked slowly, not sure how to react. "And why are you doing it at my door?"

"What do you mean 'What are you doing?' I am leaving obviously." Knight said, turning his head to Riku. "Haven't you ever traveled through the door?" He asked. The three shook their heads. "Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. Allow me to explain." He said, lowering his Keyblade. "The Keyblade is an extraordinarily powerful weapon, in another time, warriors of the Keyblade could transform their sword into a sort of ship and fly through small gaps in the doors between worlds. I discovered another way, a secret pathway really, called the In-Between. Inside the In-Between is a small corridor that can lead you to any door in the universe, mostly doors to worlds but not always. I specified a location and came aboard your ship this way."

Knight starred at the blank faces of the Key-Bearers. "In other words," He said sighing deeply. "I point my Keyblade at the door, shoot a beam of light, and can travel anywhere in the Realm of Light, or even the Realm of Darkness. Got it?"

Sora looked excited at that moment. "Teach me how to do that!" He exclaimed, summoning the Ultima Weapon and looking to Knight with determination. "I'm ready to learn all there is about being a Keyblade master."

Knight snorted at that. "Normally I wouldn't even consider that an option." He said, looking at Sora under his hood. "But this time I shall think on it Sora Hikari, but first." He said motioning to Ultima Weapon. "Find a real Keyblade."

"What?" Sora said, obviously confused at the remark. "This is a real Keyblade, look at it!" He held the blade to Knight, and once again he snorted.

"That thing has the qualities that make a Keyblade yes, but really it's an empty shell. Keyblades cannot be forged with fire and steel, but through the power of your Heart. The Moogles did a fantastic job with this however, it resembles a Keyblade down to it's Key-chain, but that is a hollow shell of what could be an extremely powerful weapon." Knight said as he turned back to the door. "Goodbye children, enjoy the adventure, I'll be watching your progress."

Knight lifted his Keyblade high towards the door and shouted "The Lookout!" A white beam shot from his Keyblade, making the door shine a brilliant white, and he opened it and stepped through. Upon closing, the door returned to its normal coloring.

"I can do that!" Sora shouted as he ran to his own door, pointed his Keyblade right at it, mumbling along the way "Not a real Keyblade, I'll show him." He took aim and shouted "The Lookout!" Very similar to what Knight did, yet no beam shot from his Keyblade, no light, just nothing. "Huh?" He said, trying again, and again, and again until Riku walked over and slapped his head.

"Hey!" He said, grabbing Sora's attention. "We do have a mission ya know. Stop the Legion from getting their hands on the Heart Scroll, remember?"

"But I want to know how he did that!" Sora said, looking back at Riku stunned. "It looked so easy, but I can't do it! Imagine not having to fly around for days on end in this cramped ship all the time!"

"It's a nice thought Sora," Kairi interjected, standing by the table, examining the map. "But right now this ship is like a safe haven, and I like it." Suddenly her face flushed with excitement. "Why don't we give it a name!" She exclaimed, looking at her best friend and her boyfriend happily. "It'll make it more like home don't you think?"

Suddenly they were all sent back through their memories of another time they named a ship, and how Sora and Riku both raced to settle on a name, and the secret bet Riku had made with Sora about sharing a certain fruit with a certain red head. Sora remembered racing his hardest, and after a few minutes of excruciating foot work, he barely managed to get in front of Riku to pull through with the win. He never shared the paupoo with Kairi, nor did he actually name the raft, he was so pleased to have beaten Riku he stuck with the name Riku had chose.

"What'll we call it?" Sora said, giving Riku a small smile and laughing.

"Oh I think I have a name for it." Riku said smiling. "Why don't we call it High Wind?" Riku's affiliation for the name High Wind wasn't as strange or mysterious as some people thought. High Wind was once the name of a small boat that Riku's father had owned, and sailed it's last voyage with his father on the night he died. Riku remembered how the small craft was still at the dock, waiting for it's master and company to return to sail it once again.

"Sounds great Riku." Kairi said smiling. She tilted her head to her boyfriend and said "What was the name you wanted to give the raft again."

Sora recalled the name and laughed. It was a point in time where Sora just wanted to annoy Riku because he couldn't beat him in sword fighting that day, he was constantly getting knocked into the water or being knocked down that day and literally came up with his chosen name to aggravate Riku. "Kairi how could you forget 'The Ruckus', it's the best name for a ship."

Kairi laughed softly as Riku groaned and slapped his hand to his face. "I swear you do that to annoy me." He said as Sora and Kairi laughed even harder at their friends distress. "I'm going to plug in the destination, try not to make out to much." Riku said, now grinning at the blushing faces of the couple.

Sora and Kairi glanced at each other and smiled, reaching out and grabbing the others hands. "Not to much now." Kairi giggled.

**KH:HD**

One day passed and the ship finally arrived at its destination, the Land of Dragons. Sora stepped out of the ship and glanced around his surroundings. The area they landed was high in the mountains to the north of the village that was close by, Sora figured this was better considering the presence a space ship might cause. The others stepped out and observed the mountain range as well.

"Well you parked us far away from any civilization, awesome." Riku said sarcastically, rubbing his arms to heat them up. "We live on an island that's always hot, we are not adapted for mountains Sora!"

"It's not that cold." Sora said crossing his arms and giving a look to Riku. "You're just a wuss."

"Yeah but both of you aren't wearing skirts." Kairi said annoyed at the cold and arguing. "So both of you shut up and move." She said as she began to push the two through the snow. "The faster you move, the warmer we'll be."

"This is stupid." Riku said, getting slightly farther ahead of his friends. "I still don't trust Knight. 'Dragon Bone Catacombs' how do we know that he's not leading us straight into the Legions hands, and if he's so strong why doesn't he do it himself?"

"Well," Kairi began, reaching out and grabbing Sora's gloved hand. "He seems to be suffering a lot of pain, and he spoke with sincerity. He sounded like he was about to break... Like he were barely hanging on to something."

"Like he was passing on his legacy." Sora said thoughtfully. "But why would he do that? He said he was as strong as the Captain of the Legion, Caesar, why would he pass on anything to us?"

"Maybe he wants to rest, or maybe let us grow. He sounds like he had been through a lot in his life." Kairi suggested to Sora, he nodded slightly.

"You two are trying to rationalize this guy based on words, stop thinking like philosophers and start thinking like tacticians." Riku said as they moved faster down the mountain. "You two, who I might add use your hearts to figure things out, need to leave logic to me."

"Hey! Can't we act smart too?" Sora said laughing, while Kairi giggled.

"What do you mean 'act'? You're the one who has to get tutoring from two people." Kairi laughed.

"Hey!"

"Philosophy and logic are all we have when our imagination and drive die." Riku muttered, looking towards his flirtatious friends. "I suppose I found something else to drive me forward. Thank you Sora and Kairi." He said as he glanced to see the path towards the village. "Hurry up! We're almost to warmth!" Riku called as he ran down the hill, Sora and Kairi laughing as they ran hand in hand to catch up to him.

"Hold it right there kiddo's!" Shouted an annoyingly familiar voice. Sora stopped in his tracks and sighed deeply to himself. He turned his head to the place where the voice originated, and there stood Pete. "You twerps are comin' with me!" He said pointing to Kairi and Sora.

Sora looked at Kairi and began to sigh deeper. "Go to a hut and warm yourself up, this won't be long." He said letting go of her hand and summoning his Keyblade. He stood meters from Pete and took a mock fighting stance. "Oh no, it's Pete. Whatever shall we do?" Sora said, boredom ringing through his tone of voice. "What do you want Pete?" He said more annoyed.

"Why I 'oughta." Pete said, anger written across his features. "Why should I tell you, you little brat?"

"Because this is how it always goes." Sora said, giving Pete a small smile. "You show up, yell insults, we yell insults back, you tell us your plan, then we fight and I win like always. Don't want to mess up the order Pete." Sora said, hearing Kairi laugh slightly in the background and Riku giving a snort of amusement.

"Well I'll tell you something you numbskull," Pete said, smiling slightly. "I'm here from explicit orders of the Queen of Darkness, and with a new toy, to collect the Princess over there!"

Now Sora became more serious, he let his body fall into a real fighting stance and gave Pete a serious look. "What does Maleficent want with Kairi?" He said, letting all joking fall away.

Pete crossed his arms and smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He then raised his hand and snapped. All around the field burst Heartless, but they weren't the variety that Pete normally sent, there were only Shadow Heartless, no others. Sora gaped openly at Pete.

"What?" He said dumbfounded. "Where's the small army I usually see from you? I mean there's only like, 20 Heartless here Pete!" Pete looked angry again as he observed his 'army', then something clicked in Sora's mind. "Wait, you've lost control of the Heartless haven't you?"

"Correct Mr. Hikari, the Witch has hardly any power over the Heartless." Said a voice from not that far above them. Sora looked up to see a man reading a book on the edge of a cliff mere meters above. He wore a black robe that opened up to revile a white buttoned down shirt with slacks and dress shoes, black gloves covered his hands, a necklace with a purple skull surrounded his neck and a black hood shrouded his face. "You are smarter than Raven makes you out to be boy."

"Another Legionary!" Riku shouted, summoning Way to Dawn as Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace. "Who are you?"

"Another one?" Pete said, looking at the man in shock. "I thought the one with chains was bad enough." He said as the Legionary looked down at them.

"You people are far to serious, come on now. Be wiser than that." He said as he turned a page in his book. "By the way," He added, turning his head to Sora. "Do you know where I might find the Dragon Bone Catacombs? I seem to have misplaced an item I need to find in that place."

Sora looked at the man with confused eyes. "Why would I tell you?" He asked stupidly.

The Legionary cocked his head slightly. "Because I am being civil. I mean, we are gentlemen aren't we?" He turned to Pete. "Do you know where it is Master Pete?"

Pete looked at Sora and pointed to the Legionary with his thumb. "What's with this guy?" Sora merely shrugged in response, gaping now at the Legionary.

"I have heard that you are in possession of the only map in existence that leads to the catacombs, might I have a look?" He said snapping the book closed and observing Riku. "Mr. Asa, if you'd be so kind."

"Like hell I'll hand it over!" Riku shouted feeling the pocket where the map was. "Come and take it!"

"As you wish." The Legionary said as he suddenly vanished, then reappeared in the same spot a moment later with a slightly crumpled piece of paper in his grasp, head turned towards it with interest.

Riku felt his pocket in shock and felt nothing. "But, how?"

"Thank you Mr. Asa, that will be all." The Legionary said, snapping his fingers and the paper caught fire.

"No!" Kairi shouted in horror.

"See you later kids! Have a wonderful afternoon." The Legionary said, bowing deeply to the Key-Bearers and Pete, then vanished in a snap of his fingers.

"Come back!" Sora said, charging towards the village with his friends close behind him, Pete raising his arm in protest, then stopped, snorted and stormed off.

**KH:HD**

Sora panted as he reached the Checkpoint, sitting on the ground and punched the ground over and over until Kairi touched his shoulder. "Come on Sora, stop that."

"I failed, he got away Kairi. Now we'll never find the Heart Scroll." Sora said, looking towards the water, gazing deeply into the ever shifting mass that it was. Sora thought of something then that made him jump up with excitement. "Unless the Emperor knows where they are!"

Riku gazed at him and nodded in agreement. "He's probably the only one who has any idea where they might be. We have to see him right now!"

Kairi looked between the two. "The Emperor, as in Emperor of China? What on Earth makes you think he'll see us?" She asked the excited duo.

They shared a look and said in unison "He owes me a favor." Kairi proceeded to look shocked beyond all belief. Sora and Riku looked to each other and high-fived, laughing loudly.

After the shock passed, the trio headed off towards the capital city, moving as fast as they could towards the city. After an hour or so of running, the three came to the front gate, and there stood two guards. "What business brings you here?" One asked.

"We're here to see the Emperor." Sora said, standing tall and pointing to himself saying "I'm Sora."

The two guards looked confusedly at the boy. "Should we care who you are? No one see's the Emperor without a summons."

Sora looked dumbfounded at them. "But I helped save this city from the Huns!"

The guards laughed loudly at this, one actually slapping his knee at the thought of the young boy actually fighting the Huns. "Sora!" Shouted a more friendly familiar voice, Sora smiled when he heard that voice and the guards immediately stopped laughing and stood at attention, faces turning to stone.

"Mulan!" Sora said as he turned around to face his old friend. Mulan was panting slightly and wearing her regular clothing. "Been a while hasn't it?"

"Ever since we saved the city from that Dragon Heartless, and the Huns." Mulan said, giving him a quick hug, Sora couldn't help but smile at the expressions of the guards, who managed to stand even straighter than they had before. "So what's the problem? I'm sure you have important business in the city, these two aren't holding you back are they?" Mulan said, smiling slightly as the guards called for the gate to be opened.

As they went through, Sora and Riku couldn't help but bow stupidly to the guards and thank them graciously for letting them through. The guards only gave them dirty looks at the gate closed. The group laughed loudly when they were alone, Mushu poking his head out from under Mulan's shirt laughing wildly. "That was priceless! Did you see their faces?"

"All joking aside," Mulan said, smiling at her friend. "Two questions. One, where are Donald and Goofy? And two, what are you guys doing here?" She asked, Mushu nodding along and adding emphasis to her questions.

Sora laughed a little and said "One, Donald and Goofy had to stay behind this time, but this is my friend Riku and my girlfriend Kairi. And two, we're here to find something called the Dragon Bone Catacombs."

Mushu shivered visibly at the mention of the catacombs. "What in the ancestors name do you want with that place?" Mushu said, looking positively aghast at Sora.

"You know where they are?" Kairi asked hopefully, leaning over to get a better look at Mushu, then quizzically asked him "And how does a salamander learn to talk?"

"Hey! I am not a salamander! I am a fierce and powerful dragon!" Mushu said definitely, flaring his nostrils at her, then shot a look to Sora. "Keep your lady in check before she bites off more than she can chew Romeo."

"I'm sorry." Kairi said sincerely, petting Mushu on his head. "I'm sure you are the strongest dragon that I've ever met." Sora smiled at Kairi, who was now using her flattery to gain the little dragons trust, and she wasn't really lying. He was the first dragon she had ever met.

"Well," Mushu said, allowing Kairi's flattery to soothe him. "I am pretty great aren't I?" Kairi nodded as Mushu then answered her first question. "Being a great and powerful dragon, it's kind of in the job description to know a little something about those catacombs. No idea where they are, but trust me when I say you do not want to go there, it's bad news the whole place."

"We have to find it, the fate of the universe is at stake." Riku said, turning towards the castle. "And I have a feeling the Emperor knows exactly what we're looking for."

"The Emperor?" Mulan asked as Riku moved onwards with the others. "Why would he know?"

"You can't keep everything a secret." Riku said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Someone made that map and someone has to know where the catacombs are. Top secret of course, but this is his kingdom, and nothing is unknown to a true ruler."

Minutes later they were ushered into the palace and into the audience chamber. The Emperor sat in his throne, wise eyes glancing over the group and he stroked his long beard deep in thought. "Leave us." He said to the guards at the doors. They exited quickly and the Emperor waited to ask the question. "Sora, Mulan, Riku and stranger. What brings you to my home my friends?"

"Your majesty," Sora said bowing with Mulan and Kairi, Riku gave a simple nod of his head. "We must ask you a question that is of grave importance."

"Ask my friend." The Emperor said, motioning for Sora to continue.

"We need to know the location of the Dragon Bone Catacombs." Riku said bluntly, gaining collective sigh from the group.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Now what would a group of children want with that place?" He asked the group. So Sora, Riku, and Kairi gave a short version of their sudden appearance and mission, gaining a small nod of understanding from the Emperor. "I understand, but the Heart Scroll has been guarded for thousands of years by the catacombs, there is no need to fear."

"Your majesty," Riku began, taking a step forward. "You've seen the power Sora and myself have. These guys, the Legion of 7, they are the biggest threat to your kingdom, and nothing is going to stop them from getting that scroll."

The Emperor seemed to tense up at that, sighed deeply, and reached beneath his throne to pull out a small box that required three keys, all of which he pulled from random spots on his throne, and opened the box. He pulled out a small piece of folded paper, got up and handed it to Riku.

"Long ago," He began as Riku unfolded the paper. "Two maps were made to the catacombs. A thief stole the first and the second was hidden away for thousands of years. I am trusting you to prevent the destruction of the world, find and protect the Heart Scroll, but be warned. That place is guarded by a powerful dragon who has vowed to guard his treasure."

"Thank you. We won't let you down." Riku said as he bowed deeply to the Emperor, who in turn bowed in return. "Come on guys, we have to hurry!" He called to his friends as they all ran towards the door.

The Emperor stood watching them leave. He stood alone in the room, waiting patiently for something. "So you knew all along where they were you old dog." Said a voice from behind the Emperor that brought a smile to his lips.

"But of course my old friend, you didn't think I'd let all of my secrets go, did you?"

"No I don't think I did my friend, would have been nice to know though." Said the voice again, stepping from the shadows was Nathaniel, hood down and smiling brightly. "To think they were hidden here all this time, I could have moved the scroll a long time ago."

"And prevent the children from fighting for the protection of the universe? No, I think I was wiser to keep the secret with me. The second map certainly got around farther than I expected though."

"From what Edric failed to mention," Nathaniel said, stepping closer to his friend. "I assume it ended up at Hammers Forge at some point. One of his brothers must have found it." The Emperor laughed lightly at the notion. "Although, I could have prevented their having to enter that place if you would have told me." Nathaniel repeated, sounding more serious.

"You and I are two old men, our times are coming to an end my friend. Our ashes to be scattered across millions of miles and years." Nathaniel snorted at the prospect. "Come now Nathaniel, death catches up to even the most invincible."

"Tell that to Xeph, he's been around damn near a thousand years. What do you say to that?" Nathaniel asked, the Emperor sighing deeply, deep in thought.

"It means the time of immortals is coming to an end."

**KH:HD**

Hours upon hours of constant walking and running, wrong turns and misleading land marks. The group found themselves at the base of a large cavern that lead to pitch blackness. "Well here we are." Riku said, trying to gaze into the pitch blackness.

"Yup." Sora said simply, smiling slightly to himself. "No time like the present right?" He turned his head to Mulan. "We need someone to wait here in case things go wrong to find help. Mind waiting here?" Mulan nodded, but it forced. "Thanks." Sora then summoned his Keyblade and pointed it in front of him. "Firaga!" He called as a blaze of fire shot from the tip of his blade, shooting deep into the abyss, lighting it until the light was barely even visible anymore. "Long walk down." So then he sprinted down without use of caution.

"Sora wait up!" His friends called as they rushed after him.

Down in the darkness, it was almost impossible to keep your footing going down, and of course Sora couldn't manage, and slid and flipped over and over until he reached the bottom. Gripping his head in pain, he lay in wait for his slower moving friends, who after a while also found the bottom.

"Should have slowed down." Riku tutted as he helped Sora to his feet. "Where's the light coming from?" He wondered aloud, looking down the path before them. Or rather paths. There were eight paths for them to choose from.

"Now what?" Sora asked, rubbing his head as he let the potion he had drank heal his injuries. "Anything on the map?" He asked looking to Riku, who shook his head. Torches surrounded the entrance to each path, but the trio was completely lost.

"Which is the correct one?" Kairi wondered as she looked around to each pathway. The halls were all long and torch lit, identical to the one before it and all seemed endless.

"Do we just choose?" Sora wondered as Riku chuckled softly, gaining a look from Sora. "What's so funny?"

"Even immortals can die here. I understand now." Riku said smiling. "We choose wrong and we get lost in these tunnels forever is basically what that means." Riku stepped around and looked down each identical hallway. "Genius really, I mean if you're looking to guard treasure then put in a trap." Riku sat down and became lost in thought on finding the path.

Kairi looked to her boyfriend and tried to read his face. His face was tight with thought, as though his mind were running through all kinds of scenarios he had seen in a video game or a movie that showed something similar. She went and hugged him and heard paper crunch in one of his jacket.

"Sora, why are you carrying paper?" She said reaching into his pocket and pulled out two decently thick journals. They read 'The Ansem Report' and "The Secret Ansem Report'. "Why do you have these?" She asked incredulously.

"Hmm?" He asked as though he woke from a trance and noticed her holding the reports. "Oh, those?" He asked as though she had found something embarrassing, twiddling his thumbs. "It felt wrong without having those pages on me, like I were running around without something I needed. I have tons of copies of those at home, but to have the real thing is nice." He said and she understood. He had searched high and low to understand who Ansem was, you grew attached to certain things that you worked so hard to put together.

She smiled and gave him a quick kiss, they lingered together for a moment until something shimmered into Sora's hands. She looked and saw the Kingdom Key caught in his grasp. "Well if I knew I was that good of a kisser." She said laughing lightly while Sora looked surprised at the mythical weapon.

Suddenly the blade started to jerk Sora forward, nearly making the poor boy trip for a second time. He was dragged into the middle of the room, fighting the Keyblade the entire way, dragging his feet as it pulled him. "What is it doing?" Riku asked raising an eyebrow at Sora from his place on the floor.

"I don't know why don't you ask it?!" He said exasperated as it now began to spin him in a circle until it suddenly stopped, pointing towards the path directly to the left of them. "What do you think it means?" Sora asked as he starred down the path.

"It might be trying to lead us towards the catacombs." Kairi said excitedly, looking to her friends happily. "We might not get lost in there forever."

"It's the only lead we've got right now, we have to take it." Riku said running down the well lit path with his friends close behind him. After a minute or so at a full sprint they made it to a second room similar to the first, though this time there were four pathways for them to choose from. "Test it out again Sora." So Sora stood in the middle of the room and the Keyblade pointed to the path directly in front of them.

Running again, they encountered a room with six pathways now. The Keyblade pointed to the path in between the one in front and the one to the right. The next room had three pathways and it pointed them left.

After encountering rooms with five paths, two paths, four paths, back to two paths, they finally came to a dead end. There was only a wall in front of the group. "What?" Riku said examining the wall. "Was it just leading us into a random direction?"

"Riku." Sora's voice was quiet. Riku turned and saw the Keyblade pointing towards the wall. "What do you think it means?" Sora asked as Riku examined the wall closer.

His eye caught something subtle on the wall. The torch holders were slightly different from the ones he had seen, instead of being nailed into the rock, these had a more exotic shape to them, like they were meant to be pulled towards a person. He then examined the wall a little closer than before. Instead of it being more jagged, it was smoother like it were meant to drop down.

"Sora, come here." Sora walked over and Riku motioned for him to move to the other torch. "On the count of three, pull the torch." Riku counted off and they pulled simultaneously. Nothing happened. "What's wrong?" He said to himself.

"Riku, look up there." Kairi pointed to the top of the path they entered from. There sat a torch similar to the ones on the wall.

"Pull that with us on the count of three." Riku said to her. She summoned her Keyblade and hooked it around the torch, she had to stand on her tip toes but she managed it when he signaled for her to pull. This time, the rock wall dropped down to revile a staircase leading down. The group cheered their success until they heard the monstrous snore from below.

"Dragon huh." Sora said, smiling slightly. "Wouldn't be the first one I've fought." He then set off down the stairs, Riku and Kairi urging caution. The stairwell was long and it got increasingly darker as they moved until there was barely any light left save for dim light from above from some strange glowing rock from above.

The snore sounded again as they found the floor. In the dim light they saw a dragon of epic proportions. Sora mentally compared the dragon Heartless and the one before him, this dragon easily out matched that creature in size and grandeur. The dragon had beautifully colored emerald green scales and patches of tan, signifying just how old the great creature was. It breathed again and opened its eyes.

"Mankind disturbs my slumber yet again." It said in the English tongue, its eyes turning on the hero's. It's voice was gravely and low from slumber and lack of use. "You wish to see my treasure as the other had?" It asked, seemingly unsurprised.

Riku and Sora were on edge and not really willing to trust the words of the old beast, yet Kairi stepped forward and bowed. "If I may ask," She said sweetly. "What treasure do you hold mighty dragon?"

"If you must address me female, address me as Azulmeruk." The dragon said in an ancient tongue.

"Thank you for granting me the use of your name mighty Azulmeruk." Kairi said, bowing even deeper. "What great treasure do you hold?" She asked again, her flattery rolling off as easy as butter through a hot knife.

"The greatest treasure of all female. Knowledge." Azulmeruk moved his massive head, showing small spikes under his chin and throat, his horns on his head looking quiet deadly in the dim light. "Your kind has either sought the destruction or use of knowledge, so I have hidden the greatest secrets the universe has in my library."

"It must be immense." Kairi said in wonder of the old dragon. Sora saw fear and admiration in her beautiful eyes. Kairi adored reading more than any other human being Sora had ever met. When she wasn't hanging out or in school, her nose was usually pressed into a book of some sort. Sora smiled at his girlfriend.

"It is." The dragon said, stretching his lips into what could have been a smile. "But," He began, dipping his head low to Kairi. "To gain knowledge, one must trade knowledge. The price of entering my library is knowledge in any form you can give. It is this or destruction." Kairi's eyes widened in slight fear and turned her head to Sora and Riku.

Sora walked towards Azulmeruk, bowed, and drew two rather large journals from his jacket. "Mighty Azulmeruk," He began stretching the journals out. "I grant you the accounts of two men who studied the Heart and Heartless. The Ansem Reports. One for my entrance and one for hers." He said starring unflinching into the dragons old eyes.

"Agreed." The dragon extended his claws towards Sora to drop into. Azulmeruk then breathed in again and starred at Sora quizzically. "You smell of many worlds and years boy. You cannot be older than two decades, yet you smell of generations. How is this?"

Sora considered the question for a moment, hoping to buy Riku some time to try and figure out what to give the dragon. "Well," He said, grasping his chin in thought. "I suppose I've just done a lot of living in my short life span." He said smiling brightly.

Azulmeruk snorted in disbelief and turned his head to Riku. "Your gift?" He asked.

Riku pondered it over a moment before he stepped forward and pulled out the map. "I have with me the last map to your catacombs, the last map to find your library." Riku said dropping it into the dragons grasp.

"You may enter." Azulmeruk then breathed into the wall next to him and the wall turned into a large doorway that lead to a brightly lit room. "Be warned." Azulmeruk looked to the children, starring them in the eyes. "Any theft or destruction of my treasure shall lead to your demise. Enjoy your stay." He then lied his head back down as Sora, Riku, and Kairi looked in amazement at the library before them as the doorway closed.

Thousands upon thousands of books of all kinds books. Old, new, in ancient languages, in familiar languages, all of which extending high on shelves towards the ceiling. Sora was impressed then despaired. "How are we going to find the scroll in all of this?" He asked.

"I wondered the same thing Mr. Hikari, wasn't as difficult as I expected though." Said a voice they dreaded to hear. Their eyes wondered to the top of a bookcase where sat the Legionary from before, a new book caught in his grasp. "This library is glorious is it not?" He asked cheerily.

"You!" Riku said, Way to Dawn coming to his grip. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well," He said closing his book and looking down at them. "I came to find the Heart Scroll, I found it, and I was enjoying some reading before you came a disturbed it." He said, sighing deeply. "I do not look forward to having to destroy you three."

"Like you could!" Sora said, then something clicked in his head. "You have the scroll?"

The Legionary nodded and removed from his cloak a large heavy scroll, the handles carved from a black stone in the shape of dragons and hearts. "Perfect." Sora said smiling, bringing his Keyblade back and swinging it saying "Aeroga!"

The Legionary was not surprised as the gust on wind sped towards him. He simply waved his hand his hand in front of him and small lights appeared and the wind dispersed. Sora's mouth fell open in shock. "It's a simple counter spell, I'm sure you've encountered them before." Sora shook his head slightly, indicating a no. "Oh? Then this will make annihilating you so much easier." The Legionary said cheerily, replacing the scroll in his cloak.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked, shooting daggers with her eyes. "And before you people talked about 'Judgment'. What's that?"

The Legionary glanced down at her and removed his hood. He was an older man from his look mid to late 40's, his brow was wrinkled with deep thought creases. His eyes were a warm hazelnut brown that hid malice and contempt well within, his light blonde hair was long and tied into a ponytail that reached his shoulders.

"My name girl?" He said, eyes unmoving from her face. "I am the magical mastermind, the sorcerers enemy, I am the Number 4 of the Legion of 7, Morear the Warlock!" He then jumped down from his perch on the bookshelf 20 feet above the ground and landed easily. "And for your second question Ms. Haru," He began, his hands shimmering with a mystical energy. "Judgment is the reference to something you need not worry about." He then shot one hand forward and launched a bolt of blue lightning at her.

Sora jumped in front of her and shouted "Reflega!" The magical wall erupted just before the lightning struck. "I wouldn't really fight here you know." Sora said, smiling slightly. "We destroy any of the books Azulmeruk has, he'll turn us to ash."

"He said the same for theft." Morear said, also smiling at the boys intellect. "But I'm sure I could leave before he notices that. Fine we'll move our battlefield to the catacombs themselves." He lifted his hand and looked behind, shot a bolt of fire this time and the wall collapsed. He then levitated inches above the ground and shot backwards at surprising speeds, launching back into the darkness.

The Key-Bearers followed quickly behind him, running down an incredibly large hallway. After a few moments, the hallway opened up to a large room easily reaching 50 feet high and width was the size of at least three football fields. At the other end of the large room stood Morear, who smiled brightly at them.

"Unfortunately," He began, smiling wider. "I will have to rely on other beings to test you today children, I must return home soon to deliver my Masters package." He then extended his arms in front of him, his hands glowing with the same strange mystical energy from before, only this time it was tinged with black. "Rise!" He shouted, his voice loud and clear yet sounding as though a hundred different languages were ringing through his tone.

Suddenly, the bolt of energy shot from his fingers into the ground and the ground began to shake violently, shaking the Key-Bearers almost from their feet. A dragons skull shot from the ground, then wings and a torso until the entire massive structure of bone came into sight. It turned its head to the Key-Bearers and made a silent roar.

"Not finished with you just yet." He said, and a Heartless came into being next to him. This was also a new Heartless, its small body amounting to half the size of a regular Shadow Heartless, it was a red and sort of had a insect shape to it, large bug eyes replaced with two Heartless symbols. These were the Red Parasite Heartless. "Go get it boy." Morear urged the little Heartless forward as it shot like a bullet towards the dragon and perched on its spine. The dragon made another cry as it began to change, it seemed to grow the same redskin as the Parasite, and after a few seconds, it became a dragon look alike of the Parasite, eyes replaced with Heartless symbols, same red skin.

"Have fun kids!" Morear called as the Red Dragon turned its massive head towards them, he took a few steps into a small cavern that lead to what might have been another room.

"You two go after him!" Riku called, not removing his eyes from the Red Dragon Heartless.

"Riku-"

"If he gets away then all of this was for nothing Kairi!" He shouted before she could continue. "Go!"

"Think you can handle this?" Sora asked him. "I fought one once, with a group, and it wasn't as big as this."

"Well if you can do it with a team, then I can do this easily by myself." Riku said, grinning. Then Riku jumped into battle, launching a blast of dark energy at the beast to draw its attention. "Over here! I'll be fighting you!" Riku said as he summoned a black fireball in his grip and launched it at the Red Dragon. Sora and Kairi took off down the hallway Morear left through, hoping they weren't to late

**KH:HD**

Morear walked into the new chamber that was identical to its counterpart with with slight disappointment. "'Don't take any chances Number 4, return as soon as possible with the scroll.' I don't even get to fight them like everyone else did. I could have killed them." He grumbled as a Corridor to Darkness came to life in front of him.

"Leaving so soon?" Said an annoyingly familiar voice from behind Morear. He stopped dead in his tracks and saw the red caped warrior from the Lookout.

"Nathaniel." Morear said in slight excitement. "What are you doing here?"

"Sight seeing." He said, not bothering to remove his hood. "Thought I'd check out the place where immortals die, might want to find a grave here one day." This earned a chuckle from Morear. "Well that and the fact that you hold with you one of the most important items in the universe, which I'd like to have."

Morear turned away from his portal and let it fade away. "Well that's a problem Nathaniel." He said, letting sparks of magical energy flow from his hands. "Because the King would like to have this scroll as well." Nathaniel nodded his head in consideration at this. "And I'm sure he'd reward me," Morear said, gripping his fists tightly. "If I brought him your head!"

His hands shot forward, unleashing a massive burst of lightning towards the warrior of the Keyblade. Nathaniel simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers and the assault stopped as quickly as it started. Morear gaped in shock at the ex knight. "It's a simple counter spell," Nathaniel said shrugging slightly. "I'm sure you've encountered them before."

"Well then," Morear said, clearing throat. "It seems you are well versed in the magical arts as well."

"Yes." Nathaniel said, obviously smiling under his red hood. "But unlike you, I'm well versed in other things as well." Morear got the hint and began to summon large balls of fire and launched them at Nathaniel, who raised his hands to catch the flaming orbs and toss them aside as though he were knocking away annoying insects.

"Rain of Flame!" Morear called, launching a blaze of fire into the air. As it reached it apex, it exploded into thousands of small flame darts. Nathaniel walked through the attack as if there were nothing striking him at all. "Okay." Morear said as he flames faded. "Time for a little frost in here! Flash Freeze!" He then summoned a terrifyingly cold wind and launched it at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel then reached out his hand and said "Burning Blitz." A small inferno rushed towards the wall of ice and exploded against it, destroying the wall as it went. "That all you got?" He said, chocking his head.

"Knight!" Said the voice of Sora from behind. Nathaniel turned his head towards the voice and saw the two forms of Sora and Kairi.

"What are you doing here?! Get away!"

But it was too late. Morear had seen them, and with a mad look in his eye he cackled. "Perfect! Say goodbye to your little friends Nathaniel! Dragon of Shattered Sky!" He raised his hands and shot an incredible amount of lightning towards the ceiling.

The lightning transformed when it nearly hit the ceiling, changing into a dragon shaped bolt that launched itself at the completely stunned Sora and Kairi. _It's to fast to cancel! _Nathaniel thought as he launched himself at speeds even he thought were impossible and with outstretched arms took the full blast.

"Knight!" The two voices of horrified children called as he vanished into white light.

**KH:HD**

Riku was slightly surprised at the way the fight was looking. The Red Dragon was too large to hit the small and quick Riku and when it actually attempted to attack with one of its claws or its fire breath, Riku simply avoided the attack and struck what should have been crippling to the beast, yet it managed to stand unfazed from it.

_It should be down by now._ Riku thought as he struck another tendon in the Red Dragon, that simply ignored him. _What can bring this beast down._ Then Riku thought of something, the Red Parasite was simply using the dragon skeleton as a vessel to deal damage, this was a dummy, he needed to hit the source.

Riku then jumped away and waited for the Red Dragon to strike out with its claw, which it did. Riku, instead of dodging it, jumped on the claw and ran up the arm of the beast. He jumped off to land on the head and struck out at the beasts eyes, or what would have been eyes. It then used one ability Riku hadn't anticipated, it summoned Suicide Mice to try and knock him away. Riku spent some time dodging explosions and knocking the Heartless towards areas to damage the Dragon is some way, to which it simply ignored.

Riku ran towards the spot where he saw an unusual lump form on the beasts back and saw a Suicide Mouse run towards him, fuses lit on the side of its head. Riku hooked his Keyblade around the small Heartless and tossed it at the Red Parasite.

Upon contact, the Heartless exploded with the Red Parasite becoming engulfed in flame, and to Riku's great relief, he saw two Hearts fly into the air. Unfortunately, the Red Dragon returned to a skeleton, and without the Parasite, it seemed to be drained of power and collapsed moments after Riku's victory, allowing him to fall into a heap of breaking bones and dust.

Moments after the collapse of the dragon, Riku's head popped out of the wreckage. He glanced around him for a few seconds and laughed. "I knew I could do this on my own!" Suddenly in his jubilation, Riku saw from the passage Sora and Kairi exited through a white light, blinding white. "Sora! Kairi!" Riku's face turned from smiles to horrified grimace as he rushed from the wreckage into the hallway.

At the end of it he saw Sora and Kairi starring at Knight, his hood was down to finally revile the mans face. Short cropped black hair that spiked up near the back, blue eyes deep as the ocean and a tight face that had hardly seen smiles was shown.

"What happened?" Riku asked as he not only saw his shocked friends, a smoking Knight, and a horrified Morear. "Sora?"

"I honestly... Have no idea." He said dully. "There was enough energy in that blast to kill just about anything I'd ever seen. And here he is. Fine." Kairi nodded, lost for words.

Riku's eyes flickered towards Knight, who was breathing hard and smoking slightly. "What is he then?"

"I want you three too hang back." Knight said, holding his hand up and standing straight again. "Let this old man stretch his muscles a little." He smiled a handsome smile then at the three Key-Bearers. "Watch and take notes." He winked at Sora then and turned his attention back to the horrified Morear.

"Th-that sh-should have killed you." He stuttered out slowly, looking at the advancing Knight. "The Captain was right, you are some kind of devil Nathaniel!"

"Call me a devil or call me a god, I've heard it all before." He said as he walked towards the frozen Necromancer. "You and I are something different though Morear, most people would call us monsters. And this is the place where monsters die, and even immortals stand horrified of the secrets hidden within. So now," He said, taking up a trained stance, preparing for what could have a been a fist fight. "Wanna see how a real monster fights?"

Morear cried in surprise when Nathaniel began to move to fast to pin down. He summoned a barrier in the hopes of stopping an attack, but it was a wasted effort. Nathaniel's fist smashed through the wall and connected with his stomach. Morear's face contorted with pain and was coughing up blood from the hit.

"Now then," Nathaniel said as he stood straight and turned to slam his elbow into Morear's temple, sending the necromancer crashing into the wall. In a moment, Nathaniel once again connected with Morear's stomach as he charged at the helpless Legionary. "I'll be taking that scroll." Nathaniel reached into Morear's cloak and pulled out the Heart Scroll.

He smiled and walked over to the trio at the door, who stood with mouths agape. "Not to shabby ay?" He said, laughing at their expressions. The laugh did not last long however. As Nathaniel laughed, a black and purple hand shot out and caught the scroll from Nathaniel's grasp. Before he could react to the hand it shot back to its owner. Pete stood at a high peak in the room with a black gauntlet on his right hand, smiling cruelly at the four Key-Bearers.

"I don't know what this scroll thingy is," He began as a Corridor of Darkness appeared behind him. "But if it's good for you, then the Queen is gonna love it! See ya later!" And with that Pete left with the Heart Scroll tight in his grasp.

"Get back here you slime!" Nathaniel called to the retreating Darkness. Then as he turned to Morear to find something to take his anger out on, Morear also vanished into the Darkness. A primal roar of rage echoed from Nathaniel as he yelled in rage.

"Hey, umm, Nathaniel's?" Kairi said, terrified of the man who had at one point saved her life. "It's going to be okay."

"Okay?!" Nathaniel roared at her, his face contorted with rage. "The enemy has just taken one of the most powerful objects in the universe and you think that's okay?!" He yelled at her, frightening the girl.

Sora stepped in front of her, Keyblade raised to fight and starred the immortal down. "I don't give a damn if you're a god or a devil. No one, and I mean no one, talks to Kairi like that!" He yelled at Nathaniel, his rage seemingly greater than Nathaniel's own. "You pissed off? Go find someone else to take it out on! She's only been here to help this entire time! Now either get ready too fight or calm down!"

Nathaniel's face fell, he felt truly ashamed of what he had said to the Princess of Heart. "Sora... I-" Then there was another roar from behind as Azulmeruk crashed through wall to their left.

"Thieves!" He called as he turned his blazing eyes towards the group. "Where is my treasure?!" He roared in a tone that spoke of unmentionable horrors he would inflict upon the thief.

"It's gone Azulmeruk." Kairi said quietly. "We tried to stop them but one of them got the jump on us and took it to another world..." Kairi's voice was shaky which was unusual from the normally confident girl.

Azulmeruk roared a similar roar that Nathaniel had made, except this one was anger and loss. "I guarded that scroll for 2000 years." He said solemnly, face low and sadness etched in the old dragons features. "I failed."

"Hey," Sora said, walking toward the dragon and placed his hand on the old dragon. "We travel to a bunch of worlds, so we're going to find your scroll and bring it back to you. We won't let you down." Sora looked into the old dragons eyes and Azulmeruk knew that Sora would keep his promise.

"Do this for me, Sora." He tested the name on his tongue as though it were strange yet fulfilling. "Do this and I am in your debt, you can visit my catacombs at anytime and take any item in return from my horde."

Sora nodded firmly and walked towards an exit. "Well we should go find that scroll guys before anyone finds the time to actually use it. Come on!" Sora ran off towards the entrance in the library, Riku and Kairi trailing after him.

Nathaniel watched them leave, smiling sadly. "This is the fate of the universe, held in the hands of a boy." He said, shaking his head slowly.

"You smell of the boy." Azulmeruk said suddenly, causing Nathaniel to jump and turn towards the dragon with a slight fear etched in his eyes. "Many years and worlds, you smell of an immortal."

Nathaniel visibly relaxed at this and smiled. "I am not as old as you are," He said turning and moving towards the door. "But I'm cursed to wonder for an eternity."

"The time of immortals is coming to an end." Azulmeruk said softly, causing Nathaniel to stop dead in his tracks. "As it is written in ancient text, 'A god shall burn in holy light as the Knight of Balance plunges towards oblivion, so then shall the reign of Immortals end.'" Azulmeruk recited the text slowly, causing Nathaniel to tense up slightly, then move on.

**KH:HD**

Maleficent cackled in joy as Pete presented her with the Heart Scroll. "Pete," She began, smiling evilly at the scroll in front of her. "You have brought me the greatest gift you could give. Ultimate power!" She raised the scroll above her head when the doors crashed open.

She starred in shock at the being who stepped through the doors, his black regal attire looking magnificent in the white room. His red eyes looked into Maleficent's green and she gazed in fear at someone she hoped never too see again.

"Maleficent." He said softly, yet his words were heard clearly in the quiet room, a deep pressure exuded from him, making it difficult for breath to be drawn in.

"Xeph..." She whispered in horror, Pete looking surprised at the expression on his Queen's face.

"I had heard you began calling yourself a Queen of Darkness." He said as he stopped to gaze into the crystal ball. "I do not remember taking you for a wife."

"It is a title worthy of her majesty." Pete said defiantly.

Xeph's red eyes shifted to Pete and starred in amusement. "This is one of your henchmen?" He laughed. "Fitting for you Maleficent, useless henchmen for a useless being." He laughed again turning his attention to her now. "Now I want my scroll you've stolen."

"Your scroll?" Now it was her turn to laugh, and so she did. "What makes you think I'll hand it over to the likes of you?" She asked as she gazed at his stoney face.

"I shall grant you your life."

This caught her attention. Handing over the scroll would prevent her from being killed by Raven, or worse, Caesar. No wild goose chase for that Princess, she would be off the hook completely. But at the cost of the ultimate secret. She mulled it over for a moment and decided she'd take the latter.

She tossed the scroll down to the King of Darkness who caught it easily with one hand. Pete gaped at her. "Your majesty-"

"Silence you fool." She said, looking too the King. "Now our debt is settled correct?"

The King starred at her in confusion. "What do you mean Maleficent?" He asked. "You still owe us the Princess, if that's what you are asking."

"You deceiver!" She shouted as green flame erupted around the King. He waved his hand and the fire turned into black raven feathers. "You said you would rid us of our debt!"

"I said no such thing." He said, looking her in the eyes. "I said I would grant you your life, you gave me the scroll, so I didn't kill you. Our bargain for the Princess still stands witch." Then Maleficent fired a blazing green fireball at the King, who was engulfed in fire.

"This is pathetic witch." Came the King's voice from the flame. "Enough childish acts!" The fire turned into actual ravens this time, they squawked and called, and when they cleared. The King was gone. "Your one month turned into two weeks." His voice sounded not from the room like Maleficent expected, but in her mind. "Let that be a lesson witch."

**Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm back! Sorry to keep you waiting but I decided to make this worth your while, been working on this all week fella's, crafting and editing then crafting and editing again until we ended up here! 24 pages later we ended up here! I'm incredibly happy with the work I've put into this and so happy I managed to put it all together so quickly. Well, quickly for me anyway.**

**Alright so unfortunately I'm going to be holding off on the "What if" series for a little while, until I can work out one tiny issue. My friends who know about the upcoming story are feeding me too many ideas. "What if Riku went into the Megaman Starforce universe and met Geo?" "What if Sora visited Harry Potter?" "What if Sora died?" "What if Sora and Riku were gay?" Most of these came from my friend in a city not to far away, and I have no plans to make Sora and Riku ****gay! Nor visit Harry Potter! Keeping it some what possible and cannon to the actual story and my own interpretation of it. And in case you were all wondering about the name Sora had chosen for the raft, that was a joke my brother and I shared when we recently went back and played the original game, on challenge mode. Only basic weapons and cure magic, on the hardest difficulty. Took me two weeks to manage, and now I'm on a challenge mode rush, to beat all of the Kingdom Hearts games on challenge mode! Stuck on Chain of Memories RE: at the moment. **

**Speaking of which, if you haven't already played it you should play Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, it's much better than I expected it too be. And also, a big thanks to my reviewers who have shown love (or in Lilly's case, helpful criticism) for my story, I never expected to actually get this story going. So thank you all for reading and loving, because I'm loving it up here!**

**On to the preview!**

**They have faced four warriors of the Legion of 7 and have shown no signs of slowing down. But now that the enemy has the Heart Scroll, what can our hero's expect. When a creature of nightmares attacks, will they have to survive an onslaught of a horrible Heartless and a Legionary? Things look grim on the next chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire: His First Loss!**

_**The strength of my Heart has carried me through so many battles, why not this one?**_

**Sora Hikari.**

**The Doctor, Signing Off. **


	12. Chapter 12

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 12: His First Loss!

Sora sat crossed legged on the ground in front of his bed, starring at the Keyblade at his feet. The Ultima Weapon lay on the ground in front of him, it's beautiful carvings shone brightly in the light of the room. Sora's eyes covered every surface of the Keyblade, searching for any imperfection. "Not a real Keyblade..." He muttered to himself as he searched for the flaw Knight, or rather Nathaniel, had seen in the mythical blade.

A knock sounded and his door slid open to revile Kairi with a small tray of food. "Hey you." She said as she sat opposite him on the floor, laying the tray off to the side. "You didn't show up for dinner."

"Not hungry." He said as his eyes searched the Keyblade.

"Sora Hikari not hungry? This must be serious." She joked as she looked at his face. There was no change in the expression he gave. Only a deep concentrated look that was focused on the blade before him. "Sora?"

"Hmm?" His eyes wondered slightly across the blade as he listened to her words.

"What's wrong?"

"Nathaniel said that my Keyblade wasn't a real Keyblade, but I can't find anything that doesn't make it one." He said as he groaned and rested his back against the bed. "I don't get it Kairi." He said as his eyes finally wondered up to her face, she smiled a little bit at his expression. "What do you think?" He asked her after a long moment of looking into his girlfriends eyes.

"Well," She began looking down at the Ultima Weapon, touching its strangely warm surface with her finger tips. "'Keyblades cannot be forged from fire and steel, only from the strength of ones Heart.' Maybe that has something to do with it Sora, this Keyblade was forged with those ingredients you found all over, right?" He nodded his head slowly, trying to grasp what she were saying. "Well how did you first summon a Keyblade?"

"It was when the islands were being attacked." He said, rubbing his chin at the memory. "I had my wooden sword and was trying to fight all of those Heartless, but it wasn't doing anything. So just as they were going to kill me, there was this blinding white light. My sword was gone, and there was the Keyblade instead." He finished recounting, trying to solve out her meaning of the question.

"The Keyblade came to you Sora. Not you to it." She said, explaining what he had said. "You actively sought out the Keyblade, the perfect Keyblade, and what you got was as close to the perfect weapon, that you left out your Heart when making it." He starred down at the Keyblade for a long moment.

"My Heart..." He murmured in what could have been awe, his eyes now looking back to the blade. "So if I can forge a Keyblade like this with my Heart..." He began, looking at her to finish it.

"It could be the most powerful weapon in the universe." She smiled as she grabbed the tray and shoved it towards his face. "Now stop talking and start eating, I made it special for you!" She said, laughing as she saw his eyes widen at the prospect of food.

"Thanks dear." He said, testing the new pet name for Kairi and examining her expression. She blushed slightly at his words and he smiled to himself. "So where are we headed too next?" He asked, slightly relived at having something to fill his empty stomach.

"Riku wanted to check out The Olympus Coliseum, he said something about how someone there might have some information on the Heart Scroll." Kairi said, smiling at her boyfriend's pleased expression.

"Well," Sora began as he finished his plate. "There are Gods there, one of them is bound to know something about the Legion or Maleficent." Sora smiled as he set the tray aside. "Plus the tournaments are so much fun."

"Only you." Kairi shook her head and laughed slightly. "It's like you live for fighting."

"Well when you're plunged head first into fighting darkness, why not have a little fun with it." Sora said as he rested his head against his bed. "What could be more exciting than seeing new places and fighting new evils."

Kairi could name a few things, though chose not to voice them. Instead, she leaned over and kissed Sora. "How about a new relationship with a girl who's had a crush on you for as long as she can remember?"

"Well-" Sora was about to say something when a sudden jerk sent them crashing into a wall. "What the hell was that?" Sora said as he stood up, only for another jerk to send him crashing onto his bed.

"Sora! Kairi! Get in here!"

Sora and Kairi rushed to the cockpit as fast as the crashing would let them. Riku sat in the pilots chair and watched with horrified eyes the new enemy that lay in his vision. It was a Heartless, a massive Heartless. The Heartless had the lower body of a large round orb, oddly shaped like a world, and an upper body that had a torso that shot up for miles, arms longer than most highways, and a head with large yellow eyes. It looked as though a God starred down at an ant.

Sora's mouth was wide open, completely shocked at the sight. "What... What is that?" He said, unsure as to be impressed or terrified.

"A Heartless." Riku said, pointing to the large Heartless symbol on the beings chest. "A really big Heartless."

"What do we do?" Kairi asked, looking to Sora who was still in shock. His eyes didn't move and it were as if he were contemplating the matter himself. "Sora?"

"Well," He began as he looked to Kairi. "We fight or run. Those are the only paths I see. Now I'm not one to run, but against that? I don't see any other option." He proceeded to lift Riku from his seat and sat down, holding the wheel with grim determination. "But," He said again as Riku sat down at the weapons board, preparing the automated turrets around the ship, Kairi strapping down at the maps board, looking for the quickest escape route. All eyes were on him now. "I can't sit back and let this thing terrorize the universe." He smiled a trademark smile to his friends as he slammed the controls to full speed towards the creature.

"Sora!" Riku called as flashes started appearing across his screen. Some were red others were green. "What do any of these mean?!"

"Red are scanned vital areas, green are incoming missiles!" Sora called as he pressed down on two red buttons on the wheel. Riku felt the ship vibrate slightly and noticed laser lights flash and strike some of the targets on his screen.

_What the hell kind of controls are these?! _He thought angrily as he scrambled to find the way to fire missiles at the targets that were incoming quickly. He finally decided to calmly, and quickly, slam his fist into a small red button to his right. A missile fired and flew with no direction towards the monstrosity.

"Riku! If you don't find a target quick we're done for!" Sora called as he fired more at incoming missiles. "Kairi what are the shield and armor levels?" He called at his girlfriend who didn't understand what her boyfriend was asking. "Blue bar is shield and green is armor!" He yelled over his shoulder.

"Oh! Um... Shields are at 50% and armor is still full!" She called as Riku was still trying to figure out his controls. He saw many flashing buttons and a joy stick off to the left. He gripped it and saw a cursor on his screen move the direction he moved the stick.

"Is this a damn arcade game?!" He yelled at Sora, who managed a small smile.

"In simple terms, yes. It's a damn arcade game!" Riku grinned as he gripped the joy stick with confidence. "You think you can handle this?" Sora asked, flicking his eyes to his friend who was now blasting targets out of the sky with deadly precision, and hitting the red targets with almost no trouble.

"Ask all of my high scores at the arcade." He said, looking to Sora for a moment.

"Sora!" Kairi called as he began to fire at the monsters body, seemingly doing nothing to the Heartless. "Incoming arm!"

Sora could only watch and attempt to get out of the way of the massive arm, which slammed into the left side of the ship, sending the hero's flying throughout the stars.

**KH:HD**

_Sora was back in the darkness, walking forward slowly. "Sora." Said a voice as a blinding white light appeared in front of the boy. He examined the floor he now stepped on as it changed from black nothing to a platform with a glass image of himself. His picture was starring out over the ocean with Kairi at his side, a Keyblade gripped in his hand. Other pictures of friends were located around the central scene. Donald, Goofy, the King, Riku, and Kairi were ones that he noticed immediately. He then took notice of a few others around the platform. Roxas, Namine, a girl who looked like Kairi with black hair, a boy in silver armor who was wearing a helmet, and Nathaniel were shown. _

_ "Sora." Said a voice again, familiar yet entirely unknown. "Your destiny has yet to be fulfilled, the path you wonder is still far from complete."_

_ "Where am I going then?"_

_ "To a place where you'll discover what it means to be strong. You shall face many hardships in coming days, and shall experience the greatest pain you can feel." Sora's eyes wondered up to the face of Kairi. "Heartbreak is one of the unlikely pains you will experience." The voice answered to Sora's silent question. "Sora. You must choose. Shall you open the door, or close it?"_

_ "You've said that before. What does it mean though?"_

_ "It means the survival of the universe. The continued existence of everyone. Trust your Heart Sora, it shall lead you where you shall wish to go."_

_ "We trust you Sora." Said another voice, this one was a female where the other was definitely a male. "Don't let us down block head!" The voice shouted suddenly._

_ "What?" Sora was taken aback from the sudden message the female voice gave him. "What's that supposed to mean?" His question when unanswered though, as he was yanked from his platform back to the real world._

**KH:HD**

"Sora!" Kairi called his name frantically. Once the ship had crash landed on some world, Riku had gone to check damage while Kairi checked on Sora, who was currently out cold. No response yet again however. "Sora! Get up! Please!" She slapped his face lightly and he startled awake, gasping slightly.

"What happened?" He asked as he gazed around, then felt the weight of Kairi tackling him. "Kairi..." She was holding him tightly, and he held her back.

"We crashed after that Heartless hit us. I don't remember much but we crashed here. I'm shocked that none of us were seriously injured though." She removed herself from her boyfriend and allowed him to look around. Sora understood what she meant then, the ship was completely trashed, it was a miracle that the ship even still held up at all.

"Wow." Sora said, whistling at the wreckage before him. "I'm going to check out the main computer." As he entered the cockpit, he noticed Riku's curses and jerking around a computer. "What's up?" Sora asked his friend.

"Look who's finally up, how are you feeling?"

"Peachy." Sora said, rubbing his sore head. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Trying to get the auto repair system working." Riku said as he cursed under his breath and pulled his hand back suddenly.

"Riku..." Sora said as he walked over to the captains chair, plopped himself down in the seat, tapped three buttons and an automated voice sounded.

"Auto repairs commencing. Please wait." Seconds of silence later the same voice said, "Repairs will be completed in thirty minutes."

Sora smiled at Riku, who crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath. "What?" Sora asked, smiling wider at his friend.

"I don't get it!" Riku exclaimed, raising his arms above his head exasperated. "You can't even figure out how to get into your email yet you can fly a spaceship!"

"To be honest," Riku looked at his smiling friend, who grinned wider. "I'm not even really sure what email is." Riku face-palmed, groaning in an annoyed tone.

After a few more minutes of joking, moving furniture, finding things that were vital to the group, they exited the small ship and observed the new world. The world they landed on was flat, with a small village in the background, but there was a large amount of gravestones sitting around the world, almost to many to count.

"Creepy." Kairi said, glancing around the headstones. "It's like we're in a graveyard."

"That's one word for it miss." Said a voice from the left of the group. Riku's body tensed up and he summoned his Keyblade, turning to the man who spoke. The man was a tall man, six foot four with ease, blond short cropped hair that spiked up in the front, bright green eyes with flecks of blue gazed at the legendary blade. He wore a black over shirt with a white under shirt with a black fist imprinted on it. He wore loose black pants with many chains on them with black combat boots and iron gauntlets. "Another would be Burial Ground."

"Who are you?" Sora asked, summoning the Ultima Weapon. "Another Legionary?"

"My my," The man began, smiling slightly at Sora's assumption. "Someone's catching on quick. Maybe it's the black, it always gives us away."

"So you are a Legionary!" Kairi said, now drawing her own Keyblade. "What do you want?"

"Well," He held up a fist then and began listing things off. "Ultimate power, a new car, some new friends, oh and your heads on pikes." He said, chuckling at the last one. "And this time you won't stop us."

"We've done it every other time, what makes this one different?" Riku smirked, starring down the Legionary with smug satisfaction.

"There's no boss to tell me to hold back." This gained a look of surprise from the Keybladers. "You didn't know?" He asked, laughing wickedly at their confusion. "What? You actually thought you matched any of our strength? The only one you might have been stronger than was that idiot brother of mine, Zack."

"Zachariah was your brother?" Kairi asked in total shock, and now that she bothered to look, she noticed the resemblance right away. "So what, you're here for revenge?"

"Revenge? I suppose that's one reason I'm here." The Legionary then took off his over-shirt and tossed it aside. "I'm sick of the disappointment you've brought upon our names." This gained more confusion from the group. "We were once the most feared beings in the Realm of Darkness, but now we're becoming a laughingstock because we can't kill a few kids with Keyblades! It's disgraceful! And all my Captain does is say 'The King has not ordered their destruction.' I'm sick of watching you kids ruin our names! It's time to end you."

"If you can." Sora said, preparing for a fight. "We've run through four of your members already."

"You've run through four yes, but lets really quick, run a count." He held up his hand again and began to list things off again. "You killed my brother, an idiot. You survived Raven because he is nothing more than a glorified lap dog. You beat Valentine, who's useless on a good day. You let Nate run through Morear for you. I'll let you in on a secret, if the Legion ran our ranks on power, Raven should be Number 4, while I should be Number 2." He cracked his knuckles loudly at this. "And I refuse to hold back."

"We can still beat you!" Riku called to him. "I don't care who you think you are, we'll take you down!" Riku charged his foe then, bringing Way to Dawn up in a black arc, when the Legionary caught the blade mid swing! In Riku's shocked state, the Legionary rammed his fist into Riku's gut, making the boy cough up blood and launching him back into a headstone.

"Riku!" Sora and Kairi called at the same time as Sora now began the charge at the Legionary. He swung his Keyblade in a low diagonal, hoping to strike the Legionary in the thigh. It was a vein hope, the Legionary vanished and connected his palm to the side of Sora's head, sending the boy flipping through air, connecting with a headstone next to Riku.

"What the hell was that?" Riku asked, spitting out blood onto the ground. "What kind of attacks were those?"

"All I know is he can hit really hard." Sora said, shrugging off bits of broken stone and shaking his head. "He's way more dangerous than I expected, that's for sure."

"Don't tell me you're already done." The Legionary laughed as they regained their feet. "I want to get a little more enjoyment out of fighting you." His face then contorted with rage and slight pain as Kairi slashed the man with her Keyblade. She tried to go for a two hit combo, when he turned around faster than lightning and punched the Keyblade out of her hand. "You're next then!" He raised his fist and was about to connect when Sora got a hit on the man, slashing an X across his back.

"Not so tough now are you?" Sora shouted at the man, who staggered a little, then began to laugh loudly. It reminded Sora of Zachariah in a way. "What now?" Sora said exasperated.

"Nothing, nothing." The Legionary laughed even harder now, slapping his knee. "It's just that," He wiped a small tear from his eye and chuckled more. "You kids land a couple of hits and suddenly think you have the upper hand. It's funny is all."

"Well we've beat all the other guys we've fought, so don't think that we won't win this one!" Sora countered, readying for the fight to start again.

"That's right, you're the boy who's never lost." The Legionary said, his eyes turning into slits as he watched him. "The undefeated champ of the Keyblade. Why not put your title to the test then Sora." He began to crack his knuckles loudly. "What do ya say?" He cracked his neck. "You wanna take a chance to take me on in a title match? Winner takes all!"

Sora considered his proposition for a moment, then nodded his head firmly. "I accept your challenge." Riku and Kairi stood, mouths gaping at Sora.

"Excellent." The Legionary clapped his hands loudly and smiled maliciously. "I'll give you five minutes to prepare, why not spend that time writing your will or discussing funeral arrangements?" He then began to go through a series of quick warm ups while Sora walked towards his stunned friends.

"Are you insane?!" Kairi said, shaking his shoulders wildly. Sora stood quiet however, not even meeting her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She called again, pounding her small fist in his chest. "He's a Legionary, and by the way he makes it sound, he's way stronger than you!"

"He's doing it for honor." Riku said, looking at Sora with a grim seriousness. Kairi glanced over at him. "He's fighting this match because this guy has questioned Sora's ability to fight, calling him 'Undefeated' was just an insult."

"I wouldn't say I'm doing this for honor." Sora said quietly, looking at Kairi's bluish purple orbs. "It's what my Heart is telling me to do. And I think I should trust it, it's always worked out before, right?" He then smiled brightly. "I'm testing the strength of my Heart against his."

"Times up Hikari, time to fight." The Legionary began to walk in a large circle, dragging his foot behind him, stopping when he completed the circle. It was 20 feet wide, and was placed around flat ground. The trio eyed him suspiciously as he stood at the end opposite them. "The rules are simple," He began, motioning for Sora to enter the circle, to which he entered hesitantly. An invisible wall that Sora had encountered many times in his adventures sealed him and the Legionary inside and kept Riku and Kairi out. "The wall will break when a victor is decided, and there are three ways to win." He smiled as he began another one of his lists, raising his armored hand. "First way, kill your opponent. Second way, knock him unconscious. Third way, disarm and cripple him. Sound easy enough?" Sora nodded and took his stance.

"Before we begin, I believe introductions are in order." Sora eyed the man and nodded. "I am the Black Fist, the monk of destruction, the commander of the mighty World Heartless! I am the Number 3 of the Legion of 7, Andro the Destroyer!"

Andro took up his martial arts stance and prepared to charge Sora, but Sora was already charging him. Sword swinging left and right, pushing the Legionary back further and near to the wall when Andro raised his left hand to block an incoming attack, to which Sora immediately lowered the sword to strike him in the leg, Andro jumped over Sora and kicked him in the center of the back, sending the boy slamming against the invisible wall.

"Nice tactic, but I train with someone who uses two swords." Andro smiled as Sora faced his opponent once more, glaring daggers. "You ready to actually get serious, or are you gonna keep messing around?" Andro took his stance again, waiting for Sora's inevitable attack.

Instead of charging right in like before, Sora pointed the legendary blade and fired a series of different spells. Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, they all fired at the Legionary with deadly precision, yet he simply slapped the spells out of the way or moved a little to dodge. Sora charged in the confusion and slammed his Keyblade repeatedly into Andro's chest, knocking him around. The barrage of lightning fast sword swings sent the Legionary sprawling.

"I'm not as weak as you think I am." Sora said, standing over the sprawled out Legionary. But before Sora could continue the man spun on his back, kicking his leg out to kick Sora's chest, he looked like a break-dancer when he got to his feet again.

"You're right kid, you're weaker." Andro looked at Sora, who was attempting to stay on his feet, hand clutching his chest. "I expected some awesome trick like the one Raven told me about." Sora looked at him with confusion plastered across his face. "Where's this 'Heart-Smasher' technique? The one you used when you murdered my brother?"

"'Heart-Smasher'?" Sora said, obviously not remembering such a technique. "And what do mean when I killed Zachariah? I didn't kill him, it was Raven!"

"Lies! Raven would never do something like that, he's to much of a dog to disobey orders! That's the biggest breach in the order!" Andro gazed at him with pure hatred. "Are you going to get serious or not?!"

"Raven said that your Captain wanted your brother dead!" Sora shouted, taking up his stance. Andro charged, and it was destructive as his name implied. He slammed his right fist into Sora's chest, making the boy cough up blood and smash into the wall behind him.

"How dare you suggest that the Captain ordered him dead!" Andro slammed his fist into Sora's chest again, Sora's eyes bulged and more blood poured from his mouth. "The Captain is like a father to us! _Thud!_ He took care of us!_ Thud!_ He kept us safe! _Thud! _Gave us strength! _Thud! _He would never! _Thud! _Never! _Thud! _NEVER!" He punched Sora through the barrier, sending the boy flying to the feet of Riku and Kairi.

_The strength of my Heart has carried me through so many battles, why not this one? _Sora thought as his mind slipped into unconsciousness.

"Sora!" Riku and Kairi ran to the boy. His eyes starred lifeless into their own, like he were already... "You bastard!" Kairi stood, tears shimmering in her eyes with rage imprinted on her iris', and summoned her Keyblade, only it wasn't Destiny's Embrace, it was Oathkeeper. It shined into her grip with stunning beauty. "I'll kill you!" She raised the sword over her head and attempted to charge the man who had done this horrible thing to the boy she loved. When someone held her back.

A black, armored fist clamped around her shoulder like a vice. "Who the hell-" She looked behind her, eyes blazing with a fire that could burn down worlds, and met the calming blue eyes of Nathaniel. "You!"

"Yeah, me." He said soothingly to her. He removed his hand from her shoulder and moved to Sora, starring at Riku who was leaning by the boy. "Let me have a look at him." Riku nodded and moved so Sora was completely exposed. His eyes were lifeless, blood trickled down the side of his mouth and his chest was barely rising, it looked as though every bone in his upper body was crushed to putty. Nathaniel raised his hand and a soft green glow covered it, he moved his hand over Sora's chest and watched as his chest returned to its normal shape, his breathing becoming easier. "He'll be out for a little while, but he should survive." He looked down at Sora's hand, which was open and unmoving. He slapped his hand to it and whispered, "Tag out."

Andro eyed the new comer with glee. "So we meet again Nathaniel of the Key." Nathaniel didn't answer, instead he moved inside the circle and took his place opposite the Legionary. The invisible wall sprung into life again behind them as Riku and Kairi were next to Sora, watching with captivated eyes.

"This is sound proof I take it?" Nathaniel asked as he observed the area around him, his cape whipping lightly behind him.

"Yes, standard spell variety." He eyed Nathaniel strangely now, wondering where he was going with this new information.

"Good." Nathaniel said, smiling dangerously at the Legionary. "I would hate for these kids to hear you beg for mercy. I'm not in the mood to be merciful today anyway." Andro laughed loudly at this, slapping his knee. "On second thought," Nathaniel said, his face grim with silent rage, raised his armored hand and snapped. The wall around them crumbled into nothing, barely even visible as it fell away. "I think I want to have them hear you scream."

_Just who is this guy? _Riku thought as he watched Nathaniel. _He's definitely different from some of the other warrior types I've met._ Riku had contemplated the enigma that was this black armored knight, and for some reason could not shake the feeling that they had once met long ago.

_How does he keep finding us? _Kairi thought as she cradled Sora's head in her lap, keeping him safe as best she could do at the moment.

"Well Nathaniel, prepare to die." Andro took his stance yet again. "The Captain will be pleased when I rip your head off and bring it to him." Nathaniel stood still as stone, starring at his enemy with cold rage. "What's the matter? You scarred or something?"

"I'm just contemplating on how best to kill you."

This took the Legionary by surprise, as far as he knew, this ex knight was as jaded to fighting as he was with the rest of the Realm of Light. "If you think you can kill me, then you've got another thing coming!" He charged in, trying to end this as quickly as he did with Sora.

This did not go as planned however. Nathaniel grabbed his fist before he made contact. "I think you should know what it feels like to have your bones break, just like that boy." A cracking could be heard and Andro screamed in pain. "I'm already sick of this fight, if you could call it that." Nathaniel delivered a vicious uppercut to the Legionary, sending the man flying up, yet Nathaniel still held his broken fist. When Andro's face was in the perfect position, Nathaniel shoved his armored knee into it, letting go of his hand at the same instant.

Andro was sent sprawling on the ground 30 feet away, face bloody and bruised as he moaned in pain, yet still found his feet again and smiled through bloody teeth. "Now we're talking." Nathaniel gave him no more time to speak however. He vanished and reappeared in front of the Legionary, slamming his fist into his gut, then into his chest over and over again.

"So this is how you fight, right?" Nathaniel said through gritted teeth as he rammed his fist into the mans chest again. "Just use the same tactic over and over and over again?! How about I break you? Huh? Would you like to see how it feels to die like this? Would you?!" Nathaniel roared as he kept slammming his fist into the mans chest. Then the assault stopped when the Legionary slammed his head into Nathaniel's face.

While he was staggered, Andro proceeded to deliver a powerful round house kick to Nathaniel's face, sending him crashing to the ground. Andro jumped high, very high. He jumped over 20 feet in the air, shouting loudly as an aura of Darkness covered him. "Death from Above!" He launched then, as though fired from a cannon straight at Nathaniel.

Unfortunately, it was at this time that Nathaniel decided to summon his Keyblade. As the Kingdom Key shimmered into his grasp and he slashed at the Legionary who was unable to dodge. Andro was slapped out of the air, blood pouring from a long gash in his chest.

As Andro hit the ground, gasping in pain, Nathaniel stood and dusted himself off. "Over centuries, people have asked why I carry this Keyblade instead of the other one I carry." Andro stood yet again, breathing heavily. "Want to know why I do?"

"Why then?" Andro said, spitting up blood and clutching his chest. "Why do you use that damn key?"

"It holds me back." Andro raised an eyebrow as Nathaniel held his Keyblade out. "This Keyblade is associated with the weakest, and so I use it to test my own strength. How strong am I compared to the Darkness. How strong am I compared to-"

"Compared to me?" Said a voice from behind. Nathaniel seemed slightly alarmed at the new voice, his body tensing up slightly. "How foolish of you Nathaniel."

Riku and Kairi both looked to the source of the voice and Kairi saw the familiar figure of the man with the black cape. He stood, leaning against a large tombstone, hood up and arms crossed his armored chest. Now able to compare the two, really the only difference she could tell at the moment was height, the man in the black cape stood just slightly taller than Nathaniel from what she could tell.

"I was wondering when you'd show up Spark." Nathaniel said, turning his head to the man.

"You insist on calling me by a name I have long since abandoned. How many times do I have to remind you that I've given up the name my Captain gave to me all of those years ago?"

"You refused to take my offer those many years ago, and even though I didn't kill you, Spark did die on that day." Nathaniel glared daggers at the man. "All I left in his place was you, Caesar."

"So that's Caesar." Riku said, looking up at him with slight surprise. "If Andro is strong enough to beat down Sora, but unable to match Nathaniel, how strong does this guy think he is?"

"Nathaniel said that he wasn't as strong as this guy, remember?" Kairi was entranced in the sight of two incredibly powerful warriors eying each other with nothing but contempt and loathing. She swore she could feel their inner thoughts of one to the other.

"To be honest here," Nathaniel started, gazing towards Caesar with contempt in his eyes. "I was hoping you'd come along."

"And why is that?" Caesar's voice was cool, almost like ice.

"I've wanted to kill you for years now." Nathaniel smiled cruelly then. "Your subordinates are hardly a challenge anymore."

"There are very few bold enough to make that statement." Caesar was smiling under his black hood, everyone couldn't see but could feel the smile. "How foolish of you to think you have the power to boast like that."

"You're not as strong as I remember you to be. I'm sure Sora could beat you now." This was now the time where there was for certain a scowl covered his face. "Hell Kairi could definitely deal a serious blow."

"You know how easy it would be for me to slaughter them?" Caesar said, his voice cool and calm. "I wouldn't even have to try. Compared to us, humans are nothing but ants."

"You speak of humanity as though you weren't part of it." Nathaniel said, his voice much more controlled than Caesar's. "As much as you and Xeph like to tell yourselves you aren't, in the end, we are nothing but human beings."

Caesar scoffed at his words, waving a hand nonchalantly. "Look at you. You say that we are apart of the human race, yet look where we stand. You topple our warriors while those children fall like dominoes. You've lived long enough to see pure Darkness locked away. You've seen the destruction of more worlds than you can even count.

"You and I transcended humanity when we gave ours away. We became more than humans, we became Gods in our own way. You and I both have the power to turn this world to ash, we have power over life and death. Yet you chose the path of being a guardian, not the ruler. You protect these fools when you could rule all of these pathetic worlds. I have never understood this about you Nathaniel."

"You say we are Gods." Nathaniel chuckled lightly. "I've seen Gods in my time, you and I are nothing but children playing in their sandbox. Xeph thinks himself king yet hides behind a wall, we became immortal yes, but we are what we are, humans. We just had more time to develop our strength."

"Why don't you both shut up about your stupid ideals?" Riku stood then, he aquamarine eyes flaring with anger. "No one here gives a damn about your god complex you two have worked up. If this is what the great battle of two 'immortals' comes down to, then I can say that I'm not impressed. So either prepare to fight or get your asses out of here."

Riku's speech was met with three reactions: calm neutralism, unrelenting fury, and laughter. Laughter was the reaction Riku didn't expect Nathaniel. He was laughing as though Riku told a joke.

"I like you boy," Caesar said, giving Riku an unknown gaze from under the hood. "I now see what Raven saw in you. You really don't know who you're talking to do you?"

"Should I give a damn?" Riku asked coldly while Nathaniel managed to put a straight face on, even when he laughed, his eyes never wavered from Caesar.

"You are speaking too two of the most powerful beings this universe has ever seen. I am the Captain of my Kings Legions, the master of life itself, I am Caesar of the Thunderstorm." As if to answer his title, the loud cracking thunder sounded. Moments later a bolt of lightning struck a tree 10 feet from Riku and turned it to nothing more than splinters.

"If you're trying to impress us, you're going to have to try harder than that." Said a weak voice from the ground. Kairi's eyes fell upon Sora, who's eyes were open and his breathing slightly ragged. "Axel was scarier."

"Found you freaks at last!" Shouted an annoyingly familiar voice. Few heads turned if they didn't recognize the voice. Pete stood, leaning against a tombstone as he watched with joy at the sight.

"Ah," Caesar's voice cut in with amusement. "Maleficent's lap dog has arrived." Pete's face was flustered with rage. Before he could speak however, a Corridor to Darkness erupted behind Caesar. "And it seems Raven has chosen to give us a visit as well." True to his word, Raven of the Night stepped into the light of the sun.

"Some party going on." Riku muttered as he and Kairi helped Sora to his shaky feet.

"I'm here for the princess!" Pete barked as he shoved a finger into his large chest. "And if any of you numb skulls want to tussle with the Mighty Pete, then you're in for a hurtin'!" No one paid the blabbering fool any mind however. Instead, everyone present burst out laughing, save for Raven, who's face was an unreadable mask. Pete couldn't find words as the laughter died down.

"What a coincidence Pete." Raven said, taking a step towards the dog man. "I too have come for the Princess of Heart." He unsheathed his swords from his belt. "How about a duel to decide who takes the girl?"

"How about no." Pete launched his gauntlet on his right hand toward Kairi. The hand moved quickly and easily grasped the poor girls arm as she was forcibly dragged back. In the instant she was next to Raven, he slashed out with one katana and severed the purple energy cord that connected the gauntlet to Pete. He wrapped an arm around her neck as he grabbed her, forcing her to stay still.

"Kairi!" Sora raced after her in an instant, but was stopped by a swift punch that he narrowly managed to dodge. "Get out of the way you freak!" His Keyblade shimmered to life as he swatted Andro the Destroyer aside, sending the injured Legionary to one knee.

"Get back here!" Andro almost chased after Sora, but found a different Keyblade at his neck instead. His eyes traveled to Riku Asa's face. "Wanna go a round dark boy?" He taunted.

"Won't be much of a round if you ask me." Riku said as he slashed down at Andro.

**KH:HD**

As fights were beginning to take place across the zone, two immortals stood silent as the fights began to brew around them.

"You're forces can't hope to match mine, Nate." Caesar removed his hood then, reviling a face that Nate still had nightmares about. Caesar was devilishly handsome with his deep golden eyes and light blonde hair that reached his shoulders. His face was lined with thought creases and showed no emotion. "My darkness will always overpower your light."

"The light has always over powered darkness, the Pandorica stands as a testimony to that." Nathaniel's eyes hardened as he starred at his once apprentice, now mortal enemy. "No more talking. We prove now to who is more powerful." He took up his stance with the Keyblade, a one handed grip that had the mythical sword shooting off to the side.

"I agree. This is the moment where an immortal shall die." Caesar drew his short sword from his belt and held the blade at downward angle, his hand directly next to his face.

Only a moment was sparred as the two collided in blink and you missed it speeds. Nathaniel's Keyblade constantly smashing into Caesar's short sword. "Blazing blitz!" Nathaniel's left hand erupted with flames as he launched the rapid firing fireballs towards Caesar, who in turn launched a series of thunderbolts to counter.

"Blade of Black Thunder!" Caesar's sword was charged with a black electricity that sparked in the air. "Midnight Inferno!" His sword then came to life in a black fire that sent bolts of black lightning in the air. He aimed and fired the collaboration at Nathaniel who barely managed to get a shield charm up in time.

"I taught you that over 500 years ago!" Nathaniel called as he began another rush with the Keyblade, spinning the blade rapidly in his hand. The swords clashed in a rhythmic song, a dance of fighters began as they intricately fought in a space of no more than twelve feet, neither making a major push for ground. It was as though they were testing the limits the other would go to win. Energy crackled through the air as the ground broke in their fight, yet nothing stirred the two immortals except for one thing. A large black shadow covered the world.

"What in the?" Nathaniel jumped back and gazed at the sky while Caesar watched his reaction with smug satisfaction. Nathaniel's eyes looked up in horror as the sky became black. A large Heartless covered the sky across the world. "What have you done?!" Nathaniel shouted at Caesar, rage flaring across his face. "What is this?!"

"My pet." Caesar said, raising his arms up to the sky and began to laugh. "This is the key Nathaniel! A Heartless formed from the core of a world! The Heart of a world made into my ultimate weapon! My World Heartless!"

"You're insane!" Nathaniel's voice was alive with malice and his eyes screamed for Caesar's blood. "That world had living beings on it! You killed thousands!"

"I've killed millions in my time, and I have no remorse for they're loss. They were only insignificant humans." Before anymore words could be shared between the two immortals, a brilliant white light shone from where Kairi stood and a body wrapped in black clothing flew back into a tree 20 feet from where Caesar stood now. All eyes fell on the limp body of Raven.

"Raven you fool, get up!" The Captain yelled at the limp form of Raven. The man stirred as he rose, but instead of Raven's shoulder length midnight black hair, there was a golden brown. As Raven's face turned towards the crowd of onlookers, it wasn't the emotionless mask Raven normally wore, his face was contorted in confusion and pain. His mud colored eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Nathaniel.

"Raven?" Andro said as he looked towards his ally. "You look different."

"Who in the hell is Raven?" Said a voice that was not Raven's crisp and clear, menacing tone. His voice was soft and sweet but demanding and arrogant all at once. "Nate what are you doing here? Where are we? And what kind of sword is that?" Said the man who was not Raven as his eyes grew wide.

"This cannot be." Caesar said in shock, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Raven said he squashed your existence out of him!"

"Ross?!" Nathaniel shouted at his long time friend thought dead and gone. The man who was not Raven stared in confusion at the ex knight.

"Yeah, it's me. Ross Isamu, the Queen's Blade of the Radiant Garden royal bodyguards."

**KH:HD**

Kairi felt the cold gauntlet of Pete's wrap around the bicep of her left arm. With only seconds to react, she was forcibly dragged to Pete at speeds she didn't know were possible for such a little thing. She could hear Sora calling her name, yet she wasn't necessarily afraid of the happenings going on, she was actually rather calm. _Almost reminds me of training._ She allowed herself to remember just for a moment how she trained with Atlas Greenhand, a master swordsman who had taken residence on Destiny Islands.

Her first master was not as kind as Sora nor as handsome. Atlas was roughly six and a half feet tall and as wide as a bull, his rough voice and tough exterior made him difficult to work with, but his training was one of the few reasons she could fight Valentine of the Deadeye and not be killed on the spot.

Before she could remember how her first master would do a similar attack to teach her how to counter it, the line was cut and she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. She glanced up in surprise to see it was not Sora who she had expected, but Raven of the Night.

"The princess is coming with me, Pete." Raven cold tone said with slight amusement. "Thank you for sparing me the trouble of-" Before he could continue, Kairi jammed the hilt of Oathkeeper into the mans chest with surprising strength. Raven gasped for air as he staggered back away from the smirking teen.

"Kairi?" Sora asked from behind her, his voice registering shock from what he had seen. She turned her head towards her boyfriend who was staring in disbelief.

"You didn't think I didn't know how to fight before you taught me did you?" She smiled as she turned her head back to Raven who was now glaring daggers at her foe. "Sora you take Pete. This one is mine." She dived into battle right then, her white Keyblade striking against one of Raven's katanas with surprising speed. Raven parried the attack and attempted a counter when Kairi delivered a vicious slash at his ribs. Blood poured from the wound as Raven mashed his teeth.

"So the girl can fight." He said through gritted teeth as Kairi's body fell into her trained stance. "And here I thought you were as useless as your parents were."

"And how would you know anything about my parents?" Kairi said, never taking her eyes off of the Legionary before her, waiting for when she knew she could strike. Raven's laugh was cold and chilling and she cringed only slightly at the sound.

"Oh you poor, idiotic girl. I know exactly how useless your parents were." He held his blades out in front of his face, smiling wickedly. "Because these blades have tasted Haru blood before."

Kairi's blood went cold as she stared. Her face was blank, but written with despair barely visible. "You're lying!"

"Oh dear Kairi." Raven cooed, his eyes taunting her. He raised his left sword high above his head. "It was this very blade that cut the life from your pathetic mother." Kairi flew at him in a rage unlike any the universe had ever seen. She moved at a speed in which even Raven marveled at, bringing Oathkeeper down at his skull, to which he blocked with the sword on his right and lashed out with his other katana.

The duo were moving at blinding speeds to Sora's eyes. He could barely keep up with them. He gripped Ultima Weapon tight as he watched, using all of his energy not to charge in. "You gonna stand there all day? Or am I gonna have to squash you?" Said the annoying voice of Pete.

"Now is the time where running away with your tail tucked between your legs would be best Pete." Sora said, his voice filled with venom. His eyes found Pete's, burning with hate making Pete take a step back in fear. "I just found out who murdered the parents of the girl I love, so if you feel like breathing. Run." This was all the encouragement Pete needed to summon a corridor of Darkness and run through it.

"Coward." Sora muttered as he turned his attention back to the battle happening before him. "I'm to weak to help her." His body ached and pain shot from his chest, it took all of his strength to remain standing. He strengthened his resolve and stared at the two opposing forces and smiled. "Like being injured ever stopped me." He ran into the battle with renewed vigor.

On the other side of the fight, Kairi was not doing as well as she expected. She had hidden her true prowess for a very long time as her master, Atlas, had once told her to do. "Surprise is the greatest tool a warrior has." He had said as he stood over her panting form on the beaches of Destiny Islands. "Wait for the opportune moment, then strike with all you have Kairi. This is the only true way you can truly defeat a warrior greater than yourself."

"Fira!" Her ball of fire launched from the tip of the white Keyblade, crashing into one of Raven's katanas. Instead of either destroying the sword or the ball of flame exploding like she expected, the blade instead blazed into a roaring flame.

"These katanas are forged of what is known as Dragon Steel." Raven said, examining the burning blade with a sadistic glee. "When these swords come into contact with magical energy, they absorb and strengthen it!" His eyes met hers as he slashed viciously at the air in front of him. "Searing Spear!" The fire removed itself from the blade and took the form of a great spear of flame, aiming stright for Kairi's heart.

Before she could think of a counter to this new attack, someone shoved the princess out of the way as the spear connected with his shining white Keyblade. "Sora!" She called as she found her feet before she toppled over. Sora stood as the flames washed over him, the fire glinting in his blue eyes as his face took a stoney determination. _He actually looks... Cool like that._ She thought as she stared in amazement at the boy she loved.

"Get ready Raven!" Sora called to the Legionary, as he took his stance. Kairi stood her ground and took a stance far different from what he had taught her. She held her Keyblade with one hand as it shot out from her right hip. He actually thought it looked similar to Nathaniel's stance in some way. "We're coming for-"

Before the boy could continue though, a large black shadow covered the ground around them. Sora's eyes wondered up to where he saw the Heartless that he had seen in space. "It's that monster again!" He called out.

"The World Heartless has arrived then." Raven said in his usual bored tone. "Andro must have felt it necessary to call it here." His eyes traveled back to Kairi as she stared in horror at the sky above them. "Which means plan B is in action." He moved faster than the two before him could react to as he charged at Kairi and grabbed her arm. "Time to leave princess!"

"Let me go!" She struggled hard as she felt him grasp her arm, hearing Sora moving faster than the wind towards her. "I said. LET. ME. GO!" Her left palm connected with his chest and a blinding light shone through. She felt the light connect with Raven's very being, connecting with his Heart, and she swore she could her a call of victory in her ears, a call of freedom. Raven was blasted far away from the couple and he crashed into a tree.

"Raven you fool, get up!" Shouted the voice of Caesar far from them. They watched as Raven rose, his hair a different color than when he was blasted over.

"That's not Raven." Kairi said said suddenly. Sora's eyes met hers in confusion. "Raven has been purged for the moment."

"Ross?!" Called Nathaniel from his place opposing Caesar. Their eyes followed to the shouting man and ran forward to hear what the man who was not Raven, had to say.

"Yeah, it's me. Ross Isamu, the Queen's Blade of the Radiant Garden royal bodyguards." Ross' words found the dumbstruck faces of Sora and Kairi. "Who else would I be?" The man continued as he raised his arms up. His eyes locked on to his clothing for a moment. "What the- when did I start wearing this?" He turned his head and saw his shoulder length hair and grabbed it roughly. "Is this mine?" He asked himself, tugging and yelping slightly in pain. "This is way longer than regulation. Sam is gonna kill me if he sees this." He then glanced down at the dual katanas on the ground before his feet and picked them up, smiling lightly at them. "At least some things haven't changed."

"Enough of this foolishness!" Caesar yelled, an aura of lightning enveloping him. His black blade came alive with crackling blood red lightning. "So the light has found your Heart, Raven. This shall be the end of the foolish warriors of light!" Caesar's body was raised into the air, his lightning lashing out at anything that dared to challenge him.

"Well it seems it's time for me to go." Andro stepped into an opening portal of Darkness, his face a mask of fear and doubt. "You haven't seen the last of us!"

"I'm afraid dear Andro." Caesar began, his voice amplified by the heavens. The small group of the Keyblade wielders and the royal bodyguard moved close together, Kairi's eyes carefully studying the man who was, in essence, one of her royal guards. "They have."

"No." Nathaniel said quietly, understanding exactly what was about to happen. "Caesar! Don't do this!"

"What's wrong?" Ross asked as he glanced worriedly at Caesar and back to the group. "What's happening right now?"

"We'll explain later." Was Kairi's response as her fellow wielders nodded. All eyes were on Caesar. "Nathaniel, what's happening?"

"He's going to destroy this world."

"Say goodbye Nathaniel!" Caesar's left hand was clenched tightly, as though he were holding all of the power in the universe. "You shall just become... Another nightmare!"

"Run to the ship!" Nathaniel shouted and all complied. Kairi turned her head back as she ran as fast as her legs could push her and wished she hadn't.

"**NIGHTMARE STORM!**" Caesar released a bolt of pitch black lightning at the ground. The instant the bolt touched down, all hell came loose. The earth below them shook and trembled in an earth-breaking roar as a maw of flame was released from below. The ground shot up in massive spikes that tore through the pristine landscape, and Kairi ran a little faster.

"Inside now!" Nathaniel shouted as everyone entered as swiftly as physics could allow.

Sora ran to the cockpit and began to start up engines, while she and Riku took places at their own battle stations, Ross looked around the ship in stunned amazement as the ship lurched up.

"The Lookout!" Nathaniel shouted from the back of the ship and a white light lit up the room. "Good, the door to this world is still intact. Everyone get over here now!" Kairi stood and watched as Sora hit the sequence for autopilot and stepped out.

"Sora." Her voice was barely above a whisper as he stood beside her, his blue eyes glancing worriedly over her. "I thought you were dead back there... You lost and you looked so..." Tears welled up in her eyes as Sora wrapped his arms around her.

"It was really only a matter of time before I had some sense knocked into me. No one can win forever, least of all me." His words were a slight comfort to her as she cried into his jacket. "You're going to have to tell me where you learned to fight like that Kai." She giggled at those words, holding him closer.

"A girl has to have her secrets Sora."

"Is now really the time for this?!" Nathaniel's voice cut through the warm feeling they had and brought them rocketing back to reality. They were in mortal danger now. The couple rushed out to where the rest of the group was standing. "The door is still intact, but we don't know for how long. We have to chance the In-Between for this."

"I better get a damn good explanation after this." Ross muttered to himself that gained a small smile from Nathaniel.

"If we survive Ross, I'll tell all of you everything." Nathaniel said. His face returned to everyone. "We have to leave right now, but if the door to this world is destroyed, then I have no idea what's going to happen to us."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, his voice slightly harsh.

"Well we could be trapped in there forever or every door in the Realm of Light could revile itself, I have no idea. It's a fun little adventure don't you think?" Nathaniel then opened the door and motioned for everyone to step inside.

As soon as everyone was inside, the door slammed shut behind them, and they were awed by the sight before them. Inside was not Riku's bedroom, but a long, glowing yellow hallway, light illuminating every inch of the hallway. The only problem anyone in the hallway had to voice was that doors lined the walls. There were dozens of doors, all different sizes and shapes.

"We're still in the realm of light, excellent." Nathaniel said happily as he walked down the hallway casually, humming a simple tune as his eyes searched the doors.

"Nate, um I know I'm new to this whole new thing that you're into, but do you even know where you're going?"

"Of course I do Ross, I know exactly where my door is. Follow me." As the group wandered along the hallway, listening to Nathaniel's tune while their feet made a spastic rhythm. Sora turned his head around to gaze back at the door they originated from and saw... Blackness. An impeding darkness was slowly advancing towards them.

"Nate!" Sora called frantically. Nathaniel's head turned and his tune vanished as soon as he laid eyes on the darkness. "Any plans besides slowly walking away from it?!"

"Running another twenty feet to the Lookout is a sound plan Sora, brilliant really." And with that, the group stampeded down the hall until Nathaniel stopped in front of an intricately carved door. The door had a large eye in the center and had vines with overlapping roses below it and a tower with dots of shining light above. Overall, Sora thought the door was very impressive and would have liked to examine it a little longer, unfortunately the impeding darkness was currently devouring all into its black maw.

"And we're at my home, please leave your shoes by the mat!" Nathaniel swung open the door and shoved everyone inside and slammed it closed just as the darkness was about to swallow them whole.

Sora panted slightly as he looked around the room he was in. The room was completely circular and seemed to be a living room. A large black leather couch was sat in the middle of the room, set in front of a circular oak table while five black leather chairs were placed around the table. "Nice place." Sora muttered as he removed his shoes at a light blue mat that said 'Welcome Home!' on it. He looked around more and found an open bar with many bottles of alcohol placed around it. "Been drinking lately Nate?" Sora asked as he saw Nathaniel plop down in a cushy armchair in front of the fireplace, his armor still on.

"Unfortunately yes, been a rough few years Sora." Nathaniel said as he unbuttoned the cape from his shoulders and tossed it behind him. "Been a rough life actually." He muttered darkly to himself.

"Now that we're here in the safety of this beautiful house." Ross began as he sat down in one of the many chairs and placed his feet on the table. "What in the name of the light is happening?!"

"We're in a pitched battle between the forces of Darkness known as the Legion of 7 and Maleficent. They are a powerful group of warriors who's intentions are unknown. We know they serve a man named Xeph, who claims to be the King of Darkness, and that he has a great interest in powerful Hearts. Recently, Maleficent got a hold of the Heart Scroll, a powerful scroll that is said to hold all knowledge and secrets of the Heart. These two forces have it out for us, the Keyblade wielders, because we carry a special weapon known as the Keyblade. The Keyblade is a weapon that has the power to seal the Heart of a world so the Heartless can't engulf the world in darkness. So far, there are five wielders that I know of: Nathaniel, Sora, King Mickey Mouse, myself, and Kairi. That sum it up for ya?"

Ross' mouth went agape half way through the story and was now gazing around at the wielders. "I'm gonna need some proof."

"More proof than watching a guy blow up an entire world right behind you?" Kairi asked as Ross shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine then." She stood and summoned Oathkeeper in a flash of light as Sora summoned his Ultima Weapon and Riku drew forth his Way to Dawn. Nathaniel simply flicked his wrist as the Kingdom Key came to life in his hands.

Ross gazed at the swords and nodded slowly. "That's all the proof I need then, so where do I fit into all of this... Keyblade junk?"

"This is where I'll pick up the story." Nathaniel said, sitting forward and letting his Keyblade dissipate into thin air as he starred into Ross's eyes. "What's the last thing you remember before all of this Ross?"

"Huh?" Ross looked surprised for a moment, before shaking his head and answering. "Well, I was at the castle, checking to make sure the garden's were clear. There were rumors that someone was breaking into the gardens late at night and I didn't want lady Summer out while there was a potential threat, especially with the princess being so adventurous. So I investigated and saw this guy in pitch black armor with a longsword at his belt, I chased after him and..." He drifted off as his mind wandered into old memories. "I can't remember."

"That man you chased," Nathaniel began, starring at Ross with eyes that showed grief. "Was the same man you saw destroy that world. His name is Caesar, he and I are... Rivals I suppose you could say. For generations, all across the worlds, we have done battle and ended up costing people their lives. He is the current captain of Xeph's legion, where as I was his predecessor. I once commanded the forces of darkness for Xeph, but on the day that gave my notice, was the day that I summoned the Keyblade and became immortal. Caesar had the same spell that was used to make me immortal cast upon himself. Our bodies don't age, we regenerate the dying parts too quickly, but any mortal injury to you is fatal to us as well, we're not un-killable, not matter what Caesar or Xeph will say."

"Anyway, we recently met a warrior by the name of Raven. Raven is... well, you."

"Excuse me?" Ross said slowly, looking at Nathaniel as though he were crazy. "Run that by me again."

"I noticed this back when we were both royal body guards for Radiant Garden." Nathaniel said. "You used to always have a darker glint in your eye when you were losing a fight, a different nature, a different voice. I can't believe I didn't notice it was you back when I first met Raven here. You suffer from what is commonly known as a split personality disorder, a fragmented part of your mind that went off and became its own person in your head. This persona is called Raven, and is the epitome of your darkness. So when you followed Caesar into the darkness like I assume you did, he also felt the darkness that was Raven, and smothered your light and let Raven have control."

"You're telling me..." Ross began after absorbing all of the new information he had thrust at him. "That I've got some lunatic living in my head just waiting to come out?"

"Well... More in your Heart now than your head. His darkness stems from that of Xeph's own, and I'm afraid that the time you have here is now limited." This revelation shocked everyone in the room as stunned faces were all around.

"But Kairi's light touched his Heart." Sora pointed out, motioning towards Ross. "That's how he's even standing here now."

"True, but Kairi's light can't match up to a darkness like Xeph's." Nathaniel shook his head as he looked back to Ross. "You have around two weeks until the darkness takes you back." All were silent in the room.

"How long was I gone?" Ross asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Nathaniel smiled lightly as he looked to Kairi.

"That little girl you and I spent protecting, she's all grown up now." Ross looked up in surprise at the red head before him, his eyes now registering recognition. "Ross Isamu, meet Princess Kairi Haru, first of her name, crowned princess of Radiant Garden."

"It's very nice to meet the man who once protected my mother and father." Kairi said, bowing slightly as Ross blushed and Riku laughed. "It's truly an honor."

"The honor is all mine my lady!" Ross said, throwing himself to the ground in front of her feet. "Your mother and I were very good friends growing up, I owe her my life and name." He raised his head up and gazed at her, his eyes ringing slight confusion. "How is Summer anyway, I'm sure she and King Stephen are very worried about you." Everyone's smiles faded then as they all looked away from the knight of Radiant Garden. "What?"

"Kairi's parents are dead." Riku said softly. Ross's eyes couldn't have gone wider then. "They were killed with the rest of the royal guard when Maleficent and the Heartless took Radiant Garden and renamed it Hollow Baston. If it weren't for Sora, it might still be that way."

"Maleficent didn't kill my parents." Kairi's voice was harsh and cold as she said the words. "It was... Raven claims he did it." Ross's eyes managed to get even wider and his face went white as marble.

"No... No I couldn't do that. I wouldn't let anyone hurt her! I was her sworn guardian! I protected her not-"

"Ross." Sora's voice stopped the poor knights rambling, his mud brown eyes met Sora's ocean blue. "They're gone, it wasn't your fault, it was that guy inside your Heart. You couldn't have stopped him, and you can't change the past, you can only move on and change your destiny. You can beat Raven and avenge the wrong that he did."

"You're right. I can." Ross stood up and faced Kairi. "Princess." He began as he knelled on one knee before her, her face going scarlet. "I pledge my sword and life to you as your sworn guardian, I shall be your shadow and your shield. I will die before I let Raven or any other being of darkness even think of harming you. Would you have me?"

Kairi was at a loss for words, then her face retained some idea of what she should do and say. "Rise Sir Ross." Ross rose slowly as he looked down on his princess. "I name you head of the royal bodyguard, you shall be a guardian to me and all that I hold dear."

"Of course my lady." Ross bowed deeply and smiled. "If only Sam could see me now."

"Hey Nate." Riku said looking over to the Knight of Balance. Nathaniel made a 'hmm' to answer. "Is there anywhere where I can learn to... get rid of the darkness inside of me?"

"And I'd like to learn how to use my light as a weapon." Kairi said as she looked at Nathaniel as well.

"I'd like to learn how to be a real Keyblade master like you Nate." Sora said, his Ultima Weapon coming to life in front of him. "We all need to get stronger if we want to stand a chance against the Legion."

"Agreed." Nathaniel said, smiling at the warriors before him. "We have two weeks before Raven returns, so lets use that time for training and building up. Kairi," He began looking to the young girl with a smile. "Most of the old masters of light are long gone, but there is one man who can help you. He owes me a favor so I'm calling in for you. His name is master Yen Sid and he is an old and powerful sorcerer. If there is anyone who can teach you how to use the light as weapon, it's him."

He glanced at Riku next and smiled. "Learning that the darkness will not always help you win is the first steps of the warriors of Dawn. They have a magical ability that is a mixture of light and darkness, and they know that if I'm asking for a favor, then they know how deep we are in this mess. They're master Jace Asher is the master of Dawn and will teach you their ways."

He looked next to Sora. "And as for you," He began, his face growing very hard. "You wish to become a true master of the Keyblade?"

"Yes." Sora said, his fist clenching as he gripped the Ultima Weapon. "Today I lost and that nearly cost everyone their lives, I have to be stronger so I can protect my friends. I don't care if you throw me in hell to train me, just help me become stronger!"

"That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say." Nathaniel smiled at the boy in front of him. Kairi looked at the two and smiled, but felt a nagging sensation that something else was there between the new master and apprentice. She shrugged and listened as Sora cried in victory as he and Riku pounded fists. Sora ran to her and enveloped her in a long hug that ended with a very passionate kiss.

"Hey break it up you two." Ross said as he pried the two apart. "No kissing the princess until you become a prince or a Keyblade master, deal?" Sora laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his head while Kairi giggled.

**KH:HD**

An hour later, two notes had been written for Riku and Kairi to take to their respective worlds to show that they were being sent at the request of Nathaniel for training. Riku stood by the door that they had entered through and waited patiently for Nathaniel to call out the name of the world that he would be training at.

"Castle of the Rising Sun, Dawn!" The familiar white light shone from the door as Riku shook Sora's hand and hugged Kairi.

"I'll be back soon, and I'll be even stronger than I am now." Riku said, then smiled at Sora. "Who knows, by the time I get back there may not be any Legionaries for you two to deal with."

"Psh, in your dreams Riku." Sora said, a competitive look in his eye. "You won't have to worry about mastering these powers of Dawn because I'm gonna take the Legion by myself."

"Come on Riku, we don't have all day." Nathaniel said as the trio broke up. He waved one last time before opening the door, and disappearing behind it. Minutes passed as the light from the door faded, and they knew that Riku had made it to his destination. "Your next princess."

"Well, I guess I'll see you in two weeks then." Sora said, looking at Kairi with slight sadness. "This'll be the first time we'll have been apart since we got together two weeks ago."

"We'll be together again in no time Sora." She said as she leaned in for a kiss, when a loud noise from behind them made them break apart. "See you in a bit." She said as she walked through the open door with Ross, and vanished.

Sora sighed deeply as Nathaniel put a hand on his shoulder. "You ready?" Sora nodded a little bit and felt a pain shoot through his temple. He rocketed out of a door and into the nighttime air of the Lookout, it's beautiful black sky filled with stars. "Lesson one of training with me." He heard Nathaniel say as he raised his body up into a sitting position and groaned. "Never let your guard down, your training starts right now. Defend yourself!"

**I hated writing the beginning of this chapter, literally despised it. But now I can finally get on to chapters that I have been wanting to write for a while now, Riku learning the abilities of Dawn, Kairi mastering her light, and Sora becoming a more masterful master of the Keyblade. **

**Now if it weren't for me working two jobs while trying to balance a social life, keep my lovely girlfriend happy, and manage to graduate high school all at the same time, this would have been out two months ago. But things happen as we know and I can't change that. **

**Thank you guys very much, and hey, if you're smart and interested in a fantastic story, Genesis of Destiny by Sir Angelo is fantastic, as well as Shirefolk's very own Annals of Darkness series. Both blow my mind with how amazingly well written they are, and both authors are very talented and incredible people, please go by and read, drop a review and show these two incredible authors some love. While you're at it, drop one by here as well, I'd be very happy if you did.**

**Thanks once again and we go to a little preview.**

**The trio have split to train, but is this really all that this seems to be? The forces of darkness gather while our hero's rest. Next time on Hearts Desire: The Fruits of Training, Part One.**

**The Doctor, Signing off.**__


	13. Chapter 13 Part 1

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 13: The Fruits of Training

Part 1: Darkness

Darkness. Pure unrelenting darkness surrounded the world with the pulsating red moon, its heart-like shape giving off the impression of a true beating heart in the sky. Caesar of the Thunderstorm, Captain of the Legion of 7, immortal of over 500 years entered the black castle that he called home, the Number 3, Andro the Destroyer by his side. _Fool, he could have ruined everything if I allowed him to continue._ Caesar thought, his face an emotionless mask that only Raven could top. _Raven... That weak willed fool._ He of course knew of the plague that was Ross Isamu that coursed through the veins of Raven. Now it seemed as if the bodyguard managed to gain some control over his body yet again.

"I must go give my report with the King. Andro, come with me." Caesar's voice was cold and uncaring as he continued to walk through the castle. Andro stopped dead in his tracks, Caesar's head turned to the Number 3's horrified face. "Number 3, have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir, it's just..." Andro was at a loss for words. Caesar made a noise that was between irritation and anger. "I've only seen the King twice is all sir." This much was true. The King was never seen by his subordinates, only Caesar entered the throne room continually. He had heard rumors amongst the Legion that he were the true King of Darkness and was simply modest about his title.

"The King is not as terrifying as you make him out to be Number 3." Caesar smiled, a sight very few men ever saw that still lived.

"Really Captain?"

"He is far more terrifying than you can possibly imagine." Caesar returned to walking down the extended entrance hall. When Nathaniel first eradicated the original Legion of 7, Caesar had taken it upon himself to fix all of the problems that the original design had. He placed seven rooms between the entrance hall and the throne room, there by fully protecting the King with a gauntlet of rooms, to reach the throne room to fight the King, you had to battle the entire Legion. It was his answer to Nathaniel's seemingly indomitable might in battle.

As they entered the end of the entrance hall, they came across the 'den'. It was really just a few chairs with a table in the center around a fireplace that the Legion could relax at. Caesar despised this little area that Andro and his idiotic brother had set up. _At least the stupider of the two is dead._ This brought a ghost of a smile back to his lips. Zachariah was an idiot, it was child's play to eradicate him and move on with life.

There in the den sat Valentine of the Deadeye and Morear the Warlock, each resting by the fire. "Captain!" Valentine found her feet the instant her Captain came into her view. Caesar shot her a look of death and she found her seat again.

"What have I said about this area Number 5?" Caesar asked the young red headed woman. Before she could answer however, his left hand blasted the fire with a bolt of midnight black lightning. Ash littered the floor as everyone became even more silent than they were before. "I want this mess cleaned up you two, then after you're done with that, you two can clean the rest of the castle for your insubordination. Dismissed." Without a word the two Legionaries immediately went to work on the floor, Morear not daring to use magic while his Captain was in view.

"Captain." Came the weak voice of Andro. Caesar didn't even bother to turn his head at his underling. "Where is Number 2? We haven't seen him in a few weeks."

"The Indomitable Warrior is at his post in the Olympus Coliseum. He serves as one of Hades warriors until I give the order. That is all you need to know." The rest of the journey throughout the castle went in total silence. Before either knew it, they were in front of the massive doors that lead to the throne room. Caesar pushed the massive doors open with one hand and entered the room.

The glass domed ceiling was as magnificent as the day Caesar first laid eyes upon its massive form, the red light from the heart shaped moon giving the room an eery, unsettling feeling. There on his massive obsidian throne, sat the King of Darkness himself. Xeph sat as he had done 500 years ago when Nathaniel saw this exact same sight, only without the leather-bound book of ancient unknown languages, there was the Heart Scroll in his hands, his eyes scanning its contents with a sadistic glee.

"What is it you require my loyal Legionaries?" The King asked as both warriors of darkness went to one knee before their King. "I hope it is not trivial for your sake Caesar, I'm very busy at the moment."

"I'm here to give the report on the Burial Ground mission." Caesar said, meeting his Kings gaze for the first time.

"I already know of the fiasco Number 3 managed to cause." The King of Darkness said in his bored, uncaring tone. "I care not what happens in the middle of our plans, that's what I have you for. Just as long as the end goal is reached Caesar, see to it that Andro here is appropriately punished for causing young Raven to return to the light for the time being. I think battling the Shades would be a useful punishment." Andro's face went pale as marble at those words.

"Your majesty," He began, but was quickly silenced by a raised hand from his King.

"Oh don't worry young one, you'll only be fighting ten Shades instead of the 100 I was going to send after you." Andro's face did not change it's marble color. "You should be able to hold your own for at least an hour or so. Do try to have fun." Andro found his feet and moved out of the throne room.

When the doors slammed shut behind the Legionary, Caesar asked "What has the scroll reviled my lord?"

"So far my goal must be changed only slightly to achieve godhood." Xeph set the scroll down on the arm of his throne and vanished from sight. Suddenly, Caesar found himself being lifted off the ground by his throat by his King, who's hands were slowly crushing the life from Caesar. "You would dare jeopardize the entire plan by killing those fools?" His voice was colder than ice and spoke volumes of pain he could cause to the Captain of the Legion. A loud crack sounded throughout the room and the lifeless corpse of Caesar fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Xeph's cold, red eyes watched as Caesar's body twitched at the neck that he had just snapped. "Get up you weakling, or must I kill you again as a lesson?" Caesar's head spun back around and a crack sounded again and a gasp of pain escaped the Captains lips. "Come now Caesar, you know how restricted you are to death." Xeph's smile was wicked as Caesar sat up and gasped in mighty mouthfuls of precious air. "Poor, foolish Nathaniel still believes his own mortality still exists at the end of a blade. My spell is far more complicated than he believes, as you have just experienced."

Caesar stared at his King in utter horror. "Normal weaponry cannot kill one who has tasted my spells rage, only that of obsidian can pierce the immortality curse, the Keyblade as well is one of few weapons who's power is great enough to truly kill an immortal I have made."

"If your spell makes us immortal to that point," Caesar's voice was hoarse and tinged with fear. "Then why make your mortal enemy immortal?"

"To torture him of course." His laugh was as merciless as the way he had killed Caesar moments previously. "He cannot have a family, he will be forced to wonder until eternity burns in my god-like presence. He believes himself a guardian, but he is really a servant to me still."

"He still serves the Legion?"

"Not in the way you think child, he still has some purpose to fulfill in order for my goal to be complete. If you kill him, he is easily replaced but he is the most convenient warrior I could hope for." Xeph looked down at the warrior before him. "How did death taste Caesar?"

"Unrelenting horror mixed in with indescribable pain." Was his answer.

"Good, that means you'll avoid it next time." Xeph smiled at the Legionary and turned back around to his throne, Caesar's eyes on him the entire time. As the King sat in his midnight black throne, he said "Should you think it wise to attack me, just remember who here made you immortal, and who here can easily revoke it."

"Yes master." Caesar said as he found his feet and stood at attention, his face back to being emotionless. "Is there anything else you require of me?"

"A few things have come to my attention that require our forces to deal with." Xeph looked down and smiled. "Lilith has decided to rear her head again."

"Lilith?" Caesar sounded actually surprised, and with good reason as well. "After her last rebellion you think she would have learned when I butchered her son in front of her own eyes."

"It would seem that she is gunning for my throne once again my Captain, I would like you to send Numbers 4 and 5 to deal with her forces on the outer rim and to take control of her experimental Heartless she's been working on in her factories. A resounding defeat before she even begins is the only way to get her attention."

"Should I pull Number 2 out from his position to aid their efforts?"

"That hardly seems necessary Captain, sending Number 5 alone is enough firepower to eradicate her entire force, Number 4 is just a precaution that I'm taking in case the rebels actually have some kind of power I have not foreseen."

"Is there anything else my lord?"

"Yes, one last thing. Find the Witch and tell her I have a proposition for her, bring her to me and then you shall be free to do as you wish."

"I shall send Number-"

"You shall fetch the Witch yourself. I wish to send her a message by sending you. A message saying that I am through with her games."

"I shall fetch the Witch after the raid then, I shall accompany my men and make sure everything goes as planned." Caesar was hardly one to take chances with the rebel leader, Lilith. She was as much a master of the darkness as he and had managed to take control of the Heartless, a feat very few could accomplish since he had laid down the law with the mindless creatures.

"I will allow this. If you find the traitor, bring me her head so I may use it as an example to other traitors."

Caesar's smile was wicked as he said "Yes my lord."

**KH:HD**

After the meeting with the King, Caesar surprisingly left in high spirits, even after experiencing death. Caesar stepped out into the entrance hall and saw the two Legionaries he had been searching for cleaning the castle as he had ordered them to. Morear had a bucket of water and a sponge floating and cleaning at his own order as he cleaned with a brush.

The moment they saw the Captain, the immediately stood at attention, the bucket and sponge slamming against the ground, water and soap streaming out onto the floor. "At ease." The two relaxed and signed in relief. Caesar stepped forward and grabbed the shoulders of his Legionaries and smiled wickedly at them. "Are you two ready to put down a rebellion?"

Morear's smile was as malicious as his Captains. "So Lilith has returned?"

Valentine smiled and looked down at her pistol in her holster. "Can I bring a bigger gun to the party?"

"How big?"

"They'll be 'exploding' in excitement when they see it."

**KH:HD**

The Realm of Darkness is far different from the Realm of Light. The nighttime sky holds no points of light that show other worlds, only eternal blackness fills the sky. The only thing that guides one from this Realm to another world are pathways, long caverns that take hours to traverse that hold horrors of the darkest variety. This was not a problem for the three Legionaries however, who looked at the beings of darkness that may have believed themselves strong enough to battle their combined forces. As a precaution, Valentine pulled out her trusty pistol and fired several shots into the crowd of beasts, killing just enough to send the message into their thick skulls.

"His majesty said we were headed to Lilith's factories, right?" Valentine asked as she placed the pistol back in its holster.

"Correct, that's towards the outer edge. We should be about there at this point Val." Morear said. As the two continued their conversation., Caesar drifted off to a memory of only 12 years ago. A time where he and Nathaniel had battled on some back water world.

**KH:HD**

_Caesar stood amongst the many strewn about islands that stood far away from the main three islands. He had heard rumor in the darkness that a man matching the description of the only man he was searching for. He had been hunting him for so long it now seemed second nature to track him down and ruin his life._

_ His eyes scanned the horizon and saw a little ship headed towards his little island. He closed his golden eyes and searched for something. He had learned this trick far before the dreaded Keyblade Wars or even before the time of Eternal Darkness. His mind went blank and he felt himself float in the air, mere inches above the ground, his minds eye saw colors that stood out amongst the blackness that resembled the picturesque sight he had seen. _

_ There were two lights that stood out amongst the darkness, one a red and yellow mixture, the other a light purple. He recognized the purple immediately as his long time foe and once master. "I've found you Nate."_

_ Caesar lifted his hand towards the sky and a black lightning shot from it. The sky went immediately black and a massive storm suddenly appeared, lightning shattering the black sky. "It is time to settle this."_

**KH:HD**

"Captain, we're here." Valentine's voice was only a slight annoyance to the Captain as a small black portal opened before him and he stepped onto the outer world, Lilith's factories.

The landscape was black and dull, death and decay surrounded the trio, skulls and long dead warriors on pikes to ward off cowards, this was definitely Lilith's work. A few thousand feet in front of the warriors of darkness was a massive building that seemed alive around the death of the world, light shining through windows like the menacing eyes of a beast.

"What is Lilith even trying to accomplish anyway?" Valentine asked no one as they moved toward the factory that housed only the darkness knew.

"She's trying to bring back the Eternal Darkness." Morear answered swiftly.

"The Eternal Darkness?"

"That's right, your generation has never heard of the age of Eternal Darkness. It was the age right after the great Keyblade War 100 years ago. The Keyblade War lasted only lasted seven years, but it cost the lives of thousands upon thousands, dark wielders, light wielders, it mattered little in the end. There is a graveyard dedicated to the warriors who died long ago that is protected by a powerful wielder, none dare to step on his lands for he is the guardian of the dead, even though hes only been there for twelve years."

"Sounds like a punk, bet I could take him."

"Don't interrupt you dolt. Anyway, the age of Eternal Darkness was the time where wielders feared existence. An entity of pure darkness that is said to be stronger than both the Captain and the King combined hunted down any and all wielders of the Keyblade."

"His name was Dedara." Caesar said, his voice colder than ice. "Dedara of Darkness."

"You knew this being Captain?"

"It was one of the few times I ever agreed with old Nathaniel. This warrior alone slaughtered hundreds of powerful wielders, and even with the combined powers of Nathaniel and myself, we were unable to beat this man. We had to seal this man away in something known as the Pandorica. A magical box that could not be harmed nor destroyed, and could only be unlocked by a Keyblade. Nathaniel, the Hammers Forge brothers, and myself had to use all of our strength to force him inside, and that is where he rests today."

"Where is this box?" Morear said, almost in awe of what his Captain had said.

Caesar's eyes were slits as he watched the Number 4. "That is of no concern to you, the rest of the Legion, or even the King." Caesar had made a vow with those five, the secret of Pandora's Box stayed between them, no other soul in the universe knew of the location of the box that held pure evil. He still remembered in his mind eye the long brown hair with crimson tips on the spiky hair, malicious green eyes, the things nightmares are made of begin with him.

"How is that guy bad?" Valentine asked as they neared the building. "It seems like he'd be a powerful ally."

"He began the Keyblade War, he also ended them, he had no interest in which side he battled, he just fought to kill all in his path. He was a monster, a real monster."

Silence fell as they entered the gates of the large building that held unknown evil. Caesar stood unsmiling, his armored hand raised itself up and black lightning blasted through like it were slicing through air. The gates fell noisily to the ground and the two other Legionaries sprang into action, Morear blasted the front doors with a blast of searing fire.

Caesar walked inside the brightly lit white room, the place looked like some kind of hospital. Caesar smiled at the terrified faces of the staff, all in white lab coats, fear evident in their tones. They knew exactly who he was. They knew exactly what was going to happen.

**KH:HD**

Far away from both Realms of Light and Darkness, sat the World That Never Was, its beauty even more magnificent with the lines of purple darkness that was Maleficent's influence. Inside the large pristine castle, Maleficent sat in her throne. The beautiful white throne had transformed into a mess of black spines and thrones, the arm rests ending in dragons that resembled her other form. Her green eyes were a blaze with black magical energy as she searched the worlds for a single red headed girl.

"Maleficent." Her eyes widened with fear and loathing, her gaze went immediately went to the large doors on the other side of the room. There stood Caesar of the Thunderstorm, Captain of the Legion of 7 and the harbinger of her destruction.

"Caesar." The tremor of a voice answered, her grip on the staff increased ten fold in a heart beat and green flames gathered around her. "If you think you shall take me without a fight then you are foolishly mistaken you worthless dog!"

"Are you attempting to hurt me feelings?" Caesar said, humor escaping from his lips as he chuckled lightly. "No, I am not here to be your executioner today Witch, I merely come with an offer of parley from the his majesty, the King of Darkness."

"A parley?"

"Yes, a meeting, a truce perhaps. I do not know what he wishes of you, but you should be relived that he seemed pleased when he spoke, so maybe he'll kill you quickly." Caesar's smile was as cruel as the blade he carried on his hip, where Maleficent's eyes rested. A Corridor of Darkness erupted behind Caesar and he motioned for the Witch to follow him through. A short pause was the only answer as she quickly made her way down from the throne and into the portal.

From what most people would think of the Corridors of Darkness, it's really a long tunnel like entrance through the Realm of Darkness, it branches off to a set destination, but you can end up traversing this plane of existence for a very long time if you are not careful.

Luckily, both of the beings of darkness knew their way to their destination like the back of their hands.

"You haven't changed very much from the last time we met." Caesar said, his eyes on the swirling mass of darkness that stretched for miles, or for meters, it was confusing in this plane.

"What do you mean Caesar? Last we met I was a no one, now I am one of the most feared beings in the universe."

"Don't delude yourself." Caesar said, his beautiful golden eyes flashing slightly red for just a moment as he gazed at her. "You began this journey as you will end it, a pathetic witch with no power."

"You would dare-"

"Silence." He turned to face her now, her bright green flames being doused by an aura of darkness so profound that the only thing that showed that Caesar was in its core was his golden eyes. "If you truly believe you can defeat me then bring out an aura as great as mine, then I shall give the respect a warrior like that deserves, until then, you are nothing but an ant beneath my notice."

The rest of the journey was made in stoney silence, which was completely fine with Caesar, the less complaints he had to hear the better, it was bad enough he had to get the witch, but to have her honestly think she herself was a threat was a pathetic show indeed. Had it not been for his King's orders, this old hag would have been dead before she even realized it. He could see it now... He could see something else in his minds eye as well. Nathaniel's shining Keyblade clashing with Caesar's Blade of Black Thunder, a sharp pain in the lower back, and the shouting of a man named Marrick.

"Captain." Said a voice that was oh so familiar to the immortals ear. Caesar had spaced off it seemed as he was now in the entrance hall of the castle, Andro standing directly in front of the duo.

"Number 3. If you would be so kind as to escort the witch to his majesty, I have some things I need answers to." Caesar stepped away, back out into the cold blackness of the Corridor, his mission was clear. _What was he doing on Destiny Islands?_

**KH:HD**

Xeph sat alone in the dining hall of his castle, sipping a cup of jasmine tea looking over the Heart Scroll with only mild interest at this point, his red eyes scanned the surface as he sipped, waiting for something. Moments passed in silence, when the door opened slowly, reviling Number 3 and the witch, Maleficent.

"Ah Maleficent, how wonderful to see that you accepted my invitation." Xeph said, smiling at the approaching woman.

"It is not as if I were given a choice, sending your dog was rather clever of you Xeph." Xeph waved a hand as if he were taking it as a compliment. "What is it you require of me?"

"Straight to the point I see. Very well, I however require two things from you." He handed her a small piece of yellow paper. "This is written in an ancient tongue that is far beyond the age of the hundred worlds and infinite realms. The words upon it are older than most worlds and far older than myself. Do you know what it says Maleficent?"

Her eyes looked over the paper with sparked curiosity, flashing with interest over and over as she scanned each letter of the ancient tongue. "These words are filled with more power than any I have ever felt, just looking at them makes me feel more powerful than ever before, though I cannot read it."

"Those words are the secret to my plans, the words that began all of time itself, the words that make a man, God." Maleficent's mouth fell slightly agape.

"If these words are that powerful, and you have read them, why haven't you said them aloud?"

"Oh I have, dozens of times, hundreds maybe, but I still need something." Xeph stood up and sipped the tea slowly. "I need three more items before I am to complete this. Three things remain before all is ready for my plan to be complete."

"And what would that be, the blood of a virgin?" Maleficent said, finding some humor in this conversation.

The King laughed loudly as well, it was a deep belly laugh and sounded queer in the halls of his dark palace. "Nothing so simple. There is a prophecy written in ancient writing that speaks of the end of the immortals. 'A God shall burn in holy light as the Knight of Balance plunges towards oblivion, so then shall the reign of Immortals end.'

"This prophecy is intriguing to say the least, and most immortals know the tale well, but this is only the second part of the prophecy, the fist speaks of three things for a man to become a God above all others. 'So it is said, when the blade with no soul takes on the Hearts of millions, only her pure light can purify them. Her radiance shall create a weapon that no God can control. He of Darkness shall plunge this weapon into the Heart of all things evil, and so it is, that Kingdom Hearts and immortality, become one in the same in his mighty form. He shall be crowned God above all else, and all shall bow before him.'

This prophecy troubles me, for I know of the Princess' of Heart hold the mightiest light in all the worlds, but what is the weapon with no soul? Which of the Princess' does it have to be, or does it even matter? Who is this Knight of Balance that is prophesied to defeat a God? These are what I require."

Maleficent stared at Xeph for a moment, not daring to speak after the amount of information that she was forced to swallow. Her voice shook only slightly when she said "It mentioned Kingdom Hearts. How are you not worried about finding the Hearts of millions?"

Now Xeph laughed harder than before, and a much more sinister tone was in the laugh. It was filled with such evil that it sent a single shiver down Maleficent's spine, and elsewhere, three Legionaries locked eyes, wondering what might have happened to make the King laugh. Xeph's laughs died and he gazed at the woman who was once the ruler of the Realm of Light.

"I already posses a million Hearts."

One sentence broke the very foundation that held everything together in Maleficent's mind. She immediately looked through the glass domed ceiling that covered the majority of the castle. There in the sky, sat the glowing red, Heart shaped moon. "It cannot be." She said, her mouth now completely agape in the awe of the moon above.

"Kingdom Hearts. The greatest of all other Kingdoms, is here within my grasp."

"Is this how you created a World Heartless?" She asked, her eyes locking with the deep red. "You tore away a piece of Kingdom Hearts?"

"That World Heartless is only the beginning of what I can do, I have complete control over all forms of the Heart that dwell in Darkness, even your Heart will do my bidding." The heart shaped amulet that hung around his neck glowed blood red for a moment, and Maleficent felt a power the likes of which she had never, ever felt within her. "You see, I need this information quickly, and I also need some research into the Heartless we picked up in a raid. I need an assessment on their power and limitations. This is where you come in."

She cackled madly, as though all the power in the universe had been handed to her. "I shall grant you control over the Heartless once more Maleficent, your debt shall be squared if you gather the information I need. Is this clear?"

Maleficent's eyes once again locked with his. "Of course, your Majesty. Where do we begin?"

**KH:HD**

Elsewhere in the Realm of Darkness, Caesar of the Thunderstorm was hunting for a rat, to be more specific a mouse. Not just any mouse, his loyal informer, one who was both idiotic and very helpful. Inside the Halls of Darkness, he wondered into what was once his informers hole. Hole was a rough word to call it, it was more like a hobble, a torn up couch in the corner with many empty bottles of what can only be assumed to be alcohol strewn about.

"Mortimer!" Caesar called out into the still darkness. "Do not hide from me, I know you are here!"

"I'm coming I'm coming." Said a rather annoyed voice, it was rather gravely and slightly drunken. Out from behind a pillar, stood a mouse man around four feet tall, hunched over and with deep bags under his eyes. Mortimer Mouse, a man who tried to steal King Mickey Mouse's thrown and wife in one move. Unfortunately for him, Mickey Mouse is a highly trained fighter, who easily overcame the take over and banished Mortimer and his partner, Pete, into the Realm of Darkness.

"Whoa, boss, if I had known you were coming I'd have tidied up a little."

"Spare me the remarks Mortimer, I need information." Caesar said, walking forward towards the mouse man. "The faster you speak, the less likely it is that I'll kill you."

"Sure, what do you need boss?" Mortimer said, inching away from the immortal. "Anything you want I've got."

"Why was the immortal Nathaniel on Destiny Islands twelve years ago?"Caesar placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword. "Tick-Tock, Mortimer."

"Whoa boss, slow down. What's in it for me, you know I'm starting to feel a little thirsty if you catch my drift." Mortimer held out a hand and smiled sheepishly at the immortal.

"Shall I allow you to swallow your own blood ounce by ounce?"

"Geez, testy today aren't we?" Mortimer immediately put his hand don and began scratching his head. "Twelve years ago, that was right around the time he showed up at Disney Castle. There's an eight year gap from his time at Radiant Garden to Disney Castle, he never stayed on any world that long before right?" Caesar nodded. In the past, Nathaniel had only stayed for three years on any world, sometimes less than that. "So it had to be something special that kept him there so long, like maybe a girl?"

"A woman?" Caesar thought about it, and it sort of made sense, Nathaniel had lost something dear to him on Destiny Islands. He had originally thought it was that man he had been traveling with when they battled, and when Caesar had killed that man, Nathaniel had left almost two weeks later. Could it be because of a woman?

"Mortimer, when I asked you about this twelve years ago, you said he was there and he was using another name." Caesar ripped his sword free of the belt he hung it on and shoved the mouse against a wall, the blade held at his throat. "Remember quickly, this sword hungers for blood."

"Geez boss!" Mortimer was beginning to sweat, his face the essence of fear. "It was... It was... Nathan! Yeah, Nathan Hikari!"

**Dun Dun Duuuuuuuun! Oh no Doctor what have you done? You've ended it on a terrible note! **

**Yes it was me who spent the time putting the pieces together throughout this whole story! I made slight references that made the back of your mind go 'Could it be true? Could Nathaniel-' Yes it's true! Mwahahahaha.**

**On a more serious note, yes it's true what you're reading, all of it. But don't worry, this story isn't going to go down hill because of one stupid thing I had to do to make the whole story make sense in the end, so I don't want to hear any complaining! This was a necessary fault that had to be made and will be used later, it's honestly the only way to piece this story together in the end, so do bare with me.**

**This chapter brought to light many things that will be very important later, and I was very pleased with it, and although it's short, it's the right amount that it should be, and I am very pleased with the way it came out to be.**

**In other news, because my girlfriend finally found out that I write this after seven months of dating, she helped me put together a fan page on Facebook! A huge mile stone for us and it's all thanks to my lovely woman Sayuri! The fan page can be found under the name of Fan Fiction: Kingdom Hearts. It's a place where I not only plan to show concept art of the story, character bios as they come up, and maybe even stories of Nathaniel's past, but it is also a place where I hope to find many authors talk about their own works of Kingdom Hearts and so I may read their works. So please, it's only one click to go into a new world where Fan Fiction can grow and roam, but it's a place where you the fans can express yourselves. So remember to go like Fan Fiction: Kingdom Hearts, or find Sayuri on facebook. We would be very pleased if you did this. We hope to see you there!**

**Preview time!**

**With the darkness massing its forces, Riku finds a place where he can overcome his own darkness. Dawn will rise in Riku's Heart in the next chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire! The Fruits of Training Part 2: Dawn!**

"_**I no longer roam the path of darkness, I now walk the road to dawn!"**_

**Riku Asa.**

**The Doctor, Signing Off. **


	14. Chapter 13 Part 2

Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Desire

Chapter 13: The Fruits of Training

Part 2: Dawn

Riku wandered the hall of the In-Between cautiously, his ears twitching at any sound, only his own footsteps were his answer in this brightly lit hall. Riku trusted Nathaniel about as far as he could throw him, saving their lives was one thing, but sending him into this hall that was literally a tunnel in space was completely different.

_These warriors of Dawn better be worth it._ He thought as he looked for the door to his destination. Unlike before where there were many different doors to choose from, this hallway was seemingly devoid of all other doors, life, or really anything. It was just a long hallway that kept stretching on and on. _Has he trapped me here in this damn hallway forever?_ He pondered the thought for a moment and decided this intuition was wrong. There were hundreds of ways to kill Riku, this was simply not the way to do it.

He kept walking for another minute or so until his eyes spotted a difference on the right side of the hallway. A door was discernible amongst the endless wall, and Riku rushed for it with all haste. As he approached, he took the time to examine the door he was about to step through.

The door in question was incredibly intricate in its design, a large golden sun hovering over a horizon shown, the sun glowing ever so slightly with the true radiance of real thing. Just in front of the golden sun, was a castle that covered only a small portion of the door, but fields and small towns took up the remaining piece of the top part of the door. Below it read 'Dawn' in shining red letters that glowed a golden color in the sun.

"This must be it." He whispered as he took one last glance around his surroundings, and opened the door. He stepped through and looked around his new surrounding in amazement. He stood on the porch of a small wooden hut, his surroundings being that of a small town with a magnificent castle shown in the background. His eyes wandered over the scenery as the door behind him closed, and a light he didn't know was there dissipated into the air. He turned and opened the door again. Only an abandoned hut was through the door, dust covering every inch of the place.

As he closed the door a second time and turned around, he was startled to see a young girl no older than nine standing in front of him. "Hiya mister." The girl said while a smile covered her face. The girl had short blonde hair that reached her cheeks and leather brown eyes. She wore a green dress that was covered in dirt, wrinkles and all around grim.

"Umm... Hey there." Riku was never really great with children. He didn't know what to say to them or how to talk to them. Children were more Kairi's style than his. "What's up?"

"Just wondering why you're in front of my house and why you look like an old man." The girl said as she smiled again. Riku felt his face go hot and tried not to lose his cool, but before he could speak she asked "Why are you dressed like that?"

"These are the clothes we wear where I'm from. Well the clothes I wear anyway, I'm not from here."

"Are you from another world?"

The question took Riku aback more than he expected. "No of course not, where would you get that idea from?" He lied quickly hoping he hadn't already managed to get caught.

"No one wears that many straps and belts around here on Dawn, besides. This is the only town for miles, all the other towns are gone since the Legion attacked." Riku's face hardened as he stared down at the young girl.

"The Legion has been here?" He asked as he stooped to her level.

"Yep, they came a few years ago, killed a lot of people and left." She sounded sad and her eyes were downcast. She moved passed Riku into the hut, motioning for him to come inside. As Riku entered the hut, he noticed that it was a complete wreck. There was only one straw bed on the back of one crumpling wall, a rotting blanket sitting on it. One dusty chair that was missing a cushion and an empty fireplace. The girl ran over to the bed and pulled out a stuffed cow toy that was missing a leg. "Mr. Moo and I had to move here after mom and dad got killed." Her eyes broke Riku's heart as she stared down at the toy.

"All of the kids call me names and make fun of me because this is the only place I can live and I don't have parents, but I know mama wouldn't want me to get sad so I try and smile a lot. It's hard to smile when everyone is mean though." Riku watched as the girl continued to stare at the toy and smiled. "But the Avengers are nice, they like to help people because it's their job to protect the universe."

"The Avengers?" Riku sat on the chair and watched as her eyes lit up with joy at the very word.

"The Avengers of Dawn! They're the masters over Dawn and can use magic to beat back any darkness! Most of the members talk about how they once used the darkness and how Master Asher saved them from an eternity of being a slave to evil."

"How many of these Avengers are there?" Riku asked as he smiled at the girl who's face lit up at the mere mention of the warriors of Dawn.

"I think there's around a hundred, they have two different branches, the paladins and the clerics. Both have they own leaders, Master Gaiman for the paladins and Master Erma for the clerics. But the grandmaster is Jace Asher, the most powerful warrior ever!"

"How do you get into the Avengers?" Riku asked the girl, who seemed to know a lot about these Avengers and how they worked.

"I dunno. Usually the Avengers find you when they go recruiting on other worlds." She grew silent for a moment and asked "What's your name mister?"

Riku laughed a little bit and answered "Riku Asa, I'm just passing through for a couple of weeks to train with these Avengers."

"I'm Lizzy Shozu, nice to meet ya Rik!" She said, extending a hand to the much larger boy, who took it with grace.

"It's Riku, not Rik." He said, smiling down at Lizzy.

"Rik sounds good on you, like it just flows off the tongue, ya know?" She said, taking her hand back and smiling. "So Rik, if you want to get into the Avengers, you might need my help. I am the expert on them in these parts."

"Are you now?" He said, quickly growing to like the girl more and more as they spoke. "Help me get into the castle, and I'll owe you one got it?" Riku stood up, the eyes of the little girl gazing up into his aquamarine orbs. "Now who's the guy we have to talk to?"

**KH:HD**

Riku felt an itch. It was an unusual itch for the 17 year old to feel. It was the itch to fight, and as he wondered the village that stood just outside of the massive castle walls, the urge hit him hard. His hand twitched with the feeling to summon his Keyblade, he resisted only just. His eyes fell on the young girl leading him through many of the villages lesser traveled paths. Underneath bridges of the beautiful flowing rivers, through earthen back ways littered with garbage, it showed just how much time the girl had spent avoiding people.

After checking the corner of the alley they were in, she motioned for him to follow. His eyes were captivated by the sight of the castle on top of the hill only a few miles away. The castle was gigantic, even from this distance the castle took up most of the landscape before him, the golden sun stuck right above the highest tower. "Holy..." Riku's voice caught in his throat as words could not be expressed at the beauty of it all. Even combining Radiant Garden's mighty castle with Destiny Island's natural beauty couldn't come close to this.

"They say that Steven Asher, the First Avenger, built that castle all by himself." Riku glanced down at his female companion who barely reached his waist. "They say it took him 50 years and wouldn't accept help from anyone. He said it was the only way he could repent what he had done in the war. Steven Asher was super powerful from what I hear, and even though most of the time he was building the castle, he came out and helped the people too. He was a real hero."

"Steven Asher? Isn't the Master of Dawn Jace Asher?" Riku asked as the girl once again pushed forward with their quest. Riku marveled at the young girl pushed herself mile after mile to reach the castle. Even when he was a boy he would have been exhausted by now, but she showed no signs of fatigue.

"Grand Master Jace is the son of the first Avenger." Lizzy responded, shooting Riku a smile that showed all of her teeth. For an orphan, she was much better groomed than you would expect. Her long golden hair was some-what combed down , though there were places where it shot up in strange angles. Her teeth were white and sparkling, and her clothes were mostly clean, save for a few rough patches, rips and tears, and moth eaten holes. "He's super nice! He gave me my necklace, and I haven't taken it off since he gave it to me." True enough, she produced from under her shirt an beautifully carved necklace in the shape of a sun. Even the sun in the ornament seemed to shine ever so slightly in the early morning light.

Some time later, they were at the base of the hill and Riku noticed something odd about the sun. "Why isn't the sun rising?"

"There's a legend that says when Steven Asher came to the people of Dawn, it was during the early morning where Dawn was just rising, there was a loud cry from on the hill and a this huge explosion of light, and the sun hasn't moved from that spot in the sky since. Dawn is always... Dawn." Riku nodded his head slightly, after having lived in Twilight Town he could sort of understand the functionality of the worlds. Though while this world was stuck in perpetual dawn, Twilight Town did have a night time.

"Have you ever seen the night time sky?" Riku asked as they moved up the hill.

"Nope, though I've heard rumors that it's beautiful, like staring at million-billion tiny suns! Have you seen the sky without the sun?" Riku was a little surprised to hear of a world without the night sky, whatever threw this world out of sync had to be incredibly powerful. His smile grew a little as he glanced to see a little wonder in her eyes.

"Not only have I seen the night sky, but I've seen dozens of other worlds. Every world is a little different, but they're all the same in the way that some people are good and some people are really bad. Me and my friends go around and stop the bad people like the Legion. It's our job, and we love what we do." He leaned down to her level to see her reaction. Her eyes were glazed over with excitement and her smile grew wider.

"What are your friends like Rik? Are they nice like you?"

"I've got the two best friends in all of the worlds. Ones name is Sora, and Sora is has the biggest idiot I've ever met. But he's strong, and he follows his Heart, and he always beats what needs to be beaten in the end. There was time where I fell into Darkness, and if it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead by now. His trust in me never wavered, not even after I tried to kill him, he never let me be a lost cause. I owe him my life for that.

"My other friends name is Kairi, and for the longest time I had this crush on her. She's got this really pretty red hair, and eyes that I can't describe. After a while, I figured out that she had feelings for Sora and anyone with eyes could tell he had feelings for her. So instead of being a good friend, when I fell into Darkness, I tried to kill Sora to prove I was better for her, that I should be the one she'd pick. I never beat Sora, not after he got his Keyblade. So after I realized how much of an idiot I'd been, I stepped out of the way, helped them get together. But to this day I don't know what I'd do without her, she's my best friend."

"It sounds like you still like this girl." Lizzy said quietly. She had hung on every word he said, and now curiosity seemed to get the best of her. "Like you still like-like her."

Riku stood up and ruffled the young girls hair. "I still like-like Kairi, but more as a friend than anything. I lost to Sora, and I'm happy with my relationship with her. You remind me of her when she was your age."

"See that part about you liking the girl isn't what caught my interest." Said a voice from up the hill. Riku looked up to see who the newcomer was. It was a man, a man who was only a little shorter than Riku and looked to be in his late teens. He had short black hair that covered half of his forehead. His eyes were a piercing blue that held an edge of forgotten anger.

His attire was what attracted the most attention however. He looked to be wearing a long skirt that was covered in armor on his lower half. His upper body was covered in a heavy plate armor, a brilliant sun shining in the center. The armor was excellently carved, it left no noticeable weakness that Riku could immediately detect and shone silver in contrast to the golden sun inscribed on his plate. He carried two long swords in his belt, one having the head of a dragon on its pommel and the other was as basic as you could make a sword. He had a large halberd resting on his back, along with a staff with two short blades on either end, a glaive the size of Riku's torso was also visible, along with a kite shield that rested over all of the weapons on his back. The man was a walking armory.

"That bit about a Keyblade and other worlds really piqued my interest." Said the newcomer, his blue locked with Riku's aquamarine in an unspoken challenge.

"Invadii!" Lizzy yelled with delight as she ran to the man, trying to wrap her tiny arms around the warriors midriff. She pulled away and gave him a scolding look. "Where have you been?" She tapped her foot impatiently and stuck her bottom lip out. It was probably one of the most adorable things Riku has ever seen.

Invadii chuckled lightly and scratched the back of his head. "I got caught up in some Avenger stuff, I was on my way to meet you I swear." He glanced over at Riku yet again. "Hey Lizzy, who's you're friend over there?"

Lizzy's face broke out in a huge smile as she ran back down to grab Riku's hand, dragging him over to Invadii, all the while not noticing the looks the two were giving each other. "Invadii! This is my new friend Riku! He's from another world." Riku inwardly groaned. "He's here to be an Avenger!"

Invadii looked up at Riku, barely able to hold back the contempt that was growing in his eyes. "Is that so?" Was all he said as he held out a hand for Riku to shake. Riku gripped his hand and felt the tight grip. "If that's the case, my name is Invadii of Light. I'm one of the Avengers of Dawn."

"My name's Riku. Good to meet you." Riku couldn't peg why he immediately disliked the man before him, but something deep inside Riku was nagging at him.

"What was that about a Keyblade I heard?" Invadii asked, and although it sounded like harmless curiosity, Riku could see the distrust evident in the Avenger's eyes.

"I don't think that's any of your concern." Invadii's eyes flashed with rage that was quickly quelled. Riku ignored the mans anger and reached into his pants pocket to produce the letter Nathaniel had written. "I do have a letter for the Grandmaster here." Invadii reached out to grab the letter, Riku pulled his hand back. "His eyes only."

Lizzy watched the exchange between the two with confusion. "Are you two fighting?" She asked tentatively. Invadii's eyes lit up with a sudden realization at the sound of her voice.

"Of course we're not fighting Liz, we're just doing grown up things." He met Riku's eyes again and managed to growl out. "Right Riku?"

"He's right. We're just being grown ups right now." Riku smiled at the young girl, reaching over and ruffling her hair a little more, earning a solid glare from Invadii. "What do you say we get going then?"

"Hey Lizzy, why don't you run on ahead and let the men at the gates know that the Grand Master needs an audience with this man. We'll be right there." Lizzy shouted her agreement and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her up the hill. Invadii smiled as he watched her go, then turned his head to Riku, his eyes not even attempting to hide the rage that was behind them. "Listen up Silver." Riku's face grew hot with anger, but chose not to speak. "Lizzy may not be my sister, but she is family. I don't know how you met her, but she seems to like you. I don't like you though." He walked forward and stood within striking distance. "I heard your little speech over there, about how you fell into Darkness. If you even have a passing thought about hurting her, I will not hesitate to end you right where you stand. Are we clear?"

Riku's face was an unreadable mask, but his eyes told volumes. "I used to be a terrible person, I killed people who didn't deserve it, and sometimes I left them to a fate worse than death. That was a long time ago. I'm different, and if you think I'm going to hurt that little girl up there, you're an even bigger idiot than you look." Invadii's face flashed with anger. "If you want to fight, lets duke it out right here and now. But if you don't want to hold up more of my time, get moving."

The silence was profound for a few seconds, Invadii nodded his head, whether in agreement or respect Riku couldn't tell. The two walked in silence, not even glancing at each other. Minutes passed until the two stood at the front gates of the enormous castle. Riku's mouth nearly dropped at the sight. From a distance he could tell the castle was huge, but up close. The walls stood over 100 feet in the air, and that wasn't as tall as the highest tower, which stood at least 50 feet higher.

"Impressive right?" Invadii said, a smirk plastered on his face at Riku's reaction. "These walls have a special set of enchantments ya know? These walls can survive an attack by any form of Darkness, and with all the men we have manning the walls, the Legion would think twice about attacking." The arrogance the man let flow out was enough to nearly gag Riku.

"So the Avengers of Dawn have faced the Legion before right?"

"Only once before. This world used to be teeming with life." Invadii then motioned to the village below. "That's all that's left." Riku felt his face go white, his hand clenched so hard he was almost sure blood would pour out soon. "Despite what they told themselves, the Avengers were thrashed by seven people. Seven. Not an army, only the Legion themselves. We used to be 1000 strong, most were battle seasoned warriors who knew the skills of Dawn magic. Now we're only 200 men, most are still green-boys who barely know how to cast even the simplest spell."

"So you mentioned the Lizzy wasn't your sister. How'd you two meet?" Riku asked as Invadii motioned to the guards at the massive gate to let them through. The gate was very impressive to say the least. A large golden sun made of glowing stones was set in the massive double oak doors, clean polished and looking as magnificent as the real golden sun above.

"One of my favorite memories. Right after the battle, my parents were both dead and any survivors were told to move into the village. I ran into a little girl, no older than 3 holding her stupid little cow toy. She was crying for her parents, and no one was paying any attention to her. I walked up to her and gave her a hug and let her know that everything was gonna be okay. Since then, she's been stuck to my leg like glue. Master Gaiman told her that unless she was going to fuse together with me she had to leave the castle. The Grand Master gave her the pendent she's always wearing and the rest is history." Invadii's face lit up into a smile when they passed through the gate and saw the young girl, her foot tapping impatiently against the ground. "Since I'm not a full Avenger yet, I don't have the free roam to go to the village whenever I choose. I go when I can but sometimes I see her with more cuts and bruises than before. She won't give me any names either, she just refuses to let me deal with the little bastards that do this to her." As they neared Lizzy, Riku heard him whisper "She's afraid I'll kill them."

"You two ladies took you're sweet time." Smiles crept up both of the boys faces at her insult. "I got up here way before you did."

"Yes but you're so small and quick, and I'm in full armor." Invadii pointed out.

"And I had to wait for him to catch up." Riku shoved his thumb at Invadii. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear. "I think he's getting a little fat, don't you?" She burst out in giggles at his comment, doubling over and laughing at the Avenger's confused expression.

"Boy!" A sharp and clear voice rang out from across the yard and Invadii's face was wiped clean of all emotion and his body was as straight as an arrow. "What have I told you about bringing civies back to the castle?" Riku saw the owner of the voice and immediately felt the aura of power this man presented himself with. He was 6 feet tall in armor similar to Invadii's, only the sun on his chest also had seven swords spread out in a half circle across the center of the sun. His hair was was brown with traces of gray on the sides of the very short cropped hair. His eyes were a mud brown color, and with deep creases across his face and a deep scar that streamed down just barely above his left eye that ended right under his cheek, a crooked nose that seemed to have been broken more than once was sported on his face.

His eyes met the young Avenger and he asked again. "That was not a rhetorical question Boy, what have I said about bringing civies into the castle?" He was now in front of the boy, their eyes locked.

"Sir!" Invadii said in the most crisp and clean way he could muster. "You said that if I brought civies again I'd be cleaning the floors of the castle until graduation day!"

"There is a reason I hope, otherwise you've just wasted not only my time, but time that could be spent cleaning."

"The silver haired man has a message for the Grand Master and Lizzy was leading him here, I only met up with them Sir!"

The older gentleman's eyes met Riku's and Riku managed to straighten his back as he stood up. "I take it you're a high ranking officer here?"

"Wow, you must be some kind of genius Silver." Riku's faced flushed red again after being called 'Silver' twice by two different people. "Watch out Invadii, the kid's getting all mad, would hate to see your guest so upset on my account." Invadii's face could have been made from stone for all the emotion he gave his commanding officer.

"I have a letter for your Grand Master." Riku once again produced the letter, and as the man reached for it, he once again pocketed it. "Sorry," Riku's face was curving in a smile as the older gentleman's face contorted with anger. "This is for the big fish, not small fry like you."

"Master Gaiman!" Invadii said before his master could react to Riku's statement. "He spoke earlier of Keyblades and other worlds, he's an off worlder."

"I don't give a damn if he's the Grand Master's mother!" Gaiman's voice rose in anger. "In this castle, he answers to me before the Grand Master!"

Riku smiled as he held out his right hand and let Way to Dawn shimmer into existence, it's black form glinting beautifully in the early morning light. Silence fell upon the trio, Lizzy's eyes shone with wonder, while the two Avengers only had shock registered on their faces.

"I'm on important Keyblade Master business." Riku said, letting his Keyblade vanish and took a step forward to pat Gaiman's shoulder. "It's in your best interests to get me an audience with Jace Asher as quick as possible."

**KH:HD**

Quick as possible, Riku had been ushered inside a massive audience chamber with two aisles on either side with hundreds of chairs, and a magnificent throne at the end of the hall. Riku was alone for only a few seconds as the large doors opened at his back and people of all ages flowed inside. After 20 minutes of people shuffling around and awkwardly muttering about what the meeting was about, silence fell as footsteps could be heard coming down the staircase at the end of the hall. _Thump, thump, thump._ Each step was slow, but rhythmic, in time with each other step. More time passed and all rose at the sight of an old man being escorted down the long staircase by Master Gaiman and a woman in identical armor.

The woman was devilishly beautiful, soft golden hair that barely touched her shoulders, deep violet eyes and a smile that warmed the room. On her belt hung a brutal mace, it's hard metal end in the shape of a sun, each ray of metal light glowed and had a dangerously pointed edge. The old man she helped escort to the chair was far from what Riku expected of who he assumed to be the Grand Master. The old man was hunched over, his eyes were white with blindness, and his face was littered in wrinkles. His armor was as intricate as the two who were helping him, and at his belt he carried an empty sheath.

As the two sat the old man down, all members in the room also sat down, whispers and pointing at both Riku and the old man. "I would like to thank you all for coming here today." Said the ancient man, his voice gravelly but loud and commanding. "It is an honor to sit down and speak with all of you today about an important new comer." The blind man gestured to Riku. "This young man brings us grave news of the worlds of the Realm of Light. The Legion of 7 has waged war against all who stand to defy their King. It seems that the King of Darkness is taking his plans to its final stages."

"Grand Master Asher." Said the woman to his left, her eyes twinkling with mistrust. "Can we truly believe this boys claims? I had thought that the Immortal Wielder had gone off to defeat the Legion."

"Master Erma, your concerns are well met. I have no reason to believe the message is false, for I have read it with my own two eyes." Riku raised an eyebrow at the statement and was about to voice his thoughts when the Grand Master spoke again. "I know you have doubts about a blind man reading, young man. When you live as long as I have, you find that with a bit of magic and good friends, nothing is impossible. The old Immortal also likes to send his letters with a little magical help." Riku wasn't quite sure what that meant, but decided not to voice any complaints.

"We shall hear your words now Silver." Gaiman's voice was rough and cold, all eyes locked on Riku's form. "Why have you really come?"

"Master Gaiman, Master Erma, and Grand Master Jace Asher." Riku said in his most clear tone, his brow beading with sweat. If there was one thing Riku hated, it was public speaking. "My name is Riku Asa. I come from the world of Destiny Islands, and two years ago, we lost our world to Darkness. I myself felt the tremendous power the Darkness held and accepted it graciously, and wanted more. I wanted the girl I loved, I wanted the power my best friend has, I wanted it all." Murmurs at Riku's back nearly caused him to stop, his heart was beating so fast he was afraid it would fly out of his chest. "I met a man who offered me more power than I could have ever dreamed, but it came with a price. He took possession of my body." Gasps could be heard, and more and more voices. Riku's breathing was coming out fast now. "His name was Xehanort, more specifically it was his Heartless that took control of me. My friend, and chosen Wielder of the Keyblade, Sora Hikari beat him and saved our world, all of the worlds! But I had to be the one who was left behind to see the job done. I was lost to Darkness, and now I wish to find my way to the Light." Riku took a deep breath and extended his right hand again and let Way to Dawn come forth again. Riku heard more gasps and sharp intakes of breath but paid them no mind. This was his Keyblade, his courage, his life. "I am the Keyblade Master of Darkness." He could hear steel sing against leather as swords were drawn. "But I don't want this power anymore." He stabbed his Keyblade down into the floor, an echo ensued throughout the long hall. "I want to find my way towards something better than Darkness! It only consumes more and more until there is nothing left! So please!" Riku went to one knee, his eyes focusing on the Grand Master's pale orbs. "Help me find the Light."

Minutes of silence passed, not a sound was heard in the great hall. Riku began to fear he had said to much. Why weren't they talking? After another 30 seconds, Riku heard the old man ask "What is the name of your Keyblade, Riku Asa?"

Riku glanced up at Jace Asher, and knew this was his moment. "The Way to Dawn." The laugh that barked out of the old man was full of mirth and joy.

"Well, it appears you found Dawn child. Welcome home."

**KH:HD**

"Grand Master!" Master Gaiman said to the smiling old man on the throne beside him. "We cannot simply let him in our order! It would forsake all of the ideals your father established."

"I am well aware of the ideals that my father created for our order." Jace Asher's blind eyes fell upon his subordinate with a coolness that caused the taller man to turn away. "Would you have me turn this boy away simply because of a Keyblade? He wishes to repent for his crimes as a warrior of Darkness and Avenge the fallen. Shall I turn him away and let the Darkness consume him again?"

"Your father-"

"My father is dead, and I shall soon join him in whatever plane of existence comes after this one. If I can save one more soul then my life is worth that." The Grand Masters words brought a smile to Riku's lips. A man who he had barely met was fighting for him to repent, that warmed Riku's heart more than anything.

"If you shall not follow the testaments of your father," Master Erma began, her eyes softening at the old man. "We still do not know if he has the strength of Heart to join us. At least allow us to test the boys abilities in battle."

"I shall supply a worthy opponent, and we shall see if the boy even has the capability of using the Dawn, or if he is too far gone." Gaiman's eyes fell on Riku, a mixture of fear and loathing within those eyes almost caused Riku to turn away.

"That would be up to the boy to decide." Jace Asher's voice was quiet, but all could hear it clearly. "I can see better than you, his Heart may be shrouded in Darkness, but there is still light, a pure light that is only waiting for its chance to revile itself."

"I'll fight." Riku said. He stood, his tall frame was straight as a spear and as still as stone. "I want to prove to all of you," He motioned to the entire room. "I want to prove to you that I'm worth your trust, that I have changed. I am ready to walk the path of Dawn."

"Very well." Jace nodded his head in approval. He waved a hand toward Master Gaiman. "Riku's opponent shall be chosen by you Salvador. Choose wisely."

Salvador Gaiman nodded his head in approval. "Thank you Grand Master. I call the Champion of this duel to be a warrior of the Paladin order." At once, half a hundred men stood at attention, their eyes locked forward. Riku noticed the familiar face of Invadii amongst the crowd. "I need only my finest warrior. I call forth my most elite fighter, one who has proven himself loyal and fierce in battle." Master Gaiman's eyes shone with pride. "I call down Invadii of Light to duel the Keyblade Master."

Riku wasn't too surprised, yet managed to act like it when Invadii stepped down and moved to Riku's side. "The fight has two rules." Master Erma announced. "Killing is prohibited, if any man, woman, or child is killed during the course of this fight you shall be executed on the spot. The last rule, should Riku win, he shall be allowed to train with our order for however long he likes, should Invadii win however, Invadii shall be raised to a Captain of the Paladin order, and the right hand of Master Gaiman." Riku and Invadii's eyes locked for a brief moment before returning to the three masters. "You may begin... Now."

Riku was already bringing Way to Dawn toward Invadii by the time she announced the word to begin. He felt his blade come into contact with Invadii's longsword in a clang of metal. Riku was a little surprised to find a sword, the speed at which Invadii drew it was unreal. Slight hesitation was all Invadii needed to gain the upper hand in the fight. He gripped the longsword with both hands and was constantly attacking to keep Riku from gaining ground or forming a counter attack. After parrying a blow to the chest, Riku punched the Avenger in the jaw, causing the young warrior to stumble. Riku immediately went to work, using a blast of darkness to keep his opponent moving, Riku ran in and began hacking away. Invadii managed to hold his ground and the two were at a standstill, both smiling at the others skill.

"I've gotta say," Invadii said as he broke the power struggle and sent Riku back, swinging horizontally at his chest. Riku danced away from the attack and began to charge a black fireball in his hand. "You're really skilled, but you're facing off with Dawn Magic now."

"Dark Firaga!" A massive black fireball shot from Riku's left hand with surprising power, rushing at the Avenger.

Invadii merely smiled and pointed his hand forward, it was flat and glowed gold for a moment. "Ray of Dawn!" A gold shaped beam cut through the dark flames and cut a gash in Riku's shoulder. As Riku backed away, Invadii charged more golden energy in the palm of his hand, a golden orb floating centimeters above it. "Shining Sun Blast!" He tossed the glowing ball at Riku's feet. Riku barely moved in time before a huge blast of golden energy enveloped him. As Riku escaped the blast, a large golden spear was hurdling towards him.

"Dark Shield!" A honeycomb shaped black shield appeared in front of Riku, yet when the spear connected with it, it tore right on through and nearly hit Riku's chest, barely managing to avoid it in time. As Riku was recovering, he saw Invadii smiling sheepishly at him.

"Guess we should have mentioned it before," He said, reaching behind him and removing his kite shield from his back. "Dawn energy is part Darkness, part Light. So when it comes into contact with a Dark source, it absorbs it and destroys it, same goes for Light energy. So in short," Invadii conjured up a second golden spear. "You lost this fight before you even knew it."

_This isn't good. _Riku saw everything as if it were in slow motion. The golden spear of Dawn energy moved towards him at pathetically slow speeds, yet Riku couldn't bring himself to move. _What's happening? Is this what happens before you know you're dead?_

_You surrender far to easily child._ Said a voice in his head, Riku's eyes widened to the size of saucers, he knew this voice. _Are you truly going to surrender to death? You who had mastered the Darkness. We need to speak. Now. _Riku felt himself fall back, but he knew his body was still as stone, he fell deeper and deeper inside himself.

**KH:HD**

_ Inside the Station of Awakening, Riku's feet touch the glass portrait of himself. The portrait showed himself in golden plate armor looking out over Destiny Islands, a Keyblade he didn't recognize in his right hand, while his left hand clasped a golden shield. The Keyblade in his right hand was a deep gold with black and red accents and near the bottom it was serrated like a saw , it's guard was a perfect circle with a golden sun set right below the blade. The Keychain was that of a golden Eye of Darkness. The blade was curved slightly and was at least four feet long, the teeth like that of a blazing red sun._

_ Around the original portrait were people who were close to Riku's Heart. He saw Sora, Kairi, Mickey, Roxas, Namine, a girl who looked like Kairi with black hair, Lizzy, Invadii, and a man with spiky brown hair that stretched to his shoulder blades with deep ocean blue eyes. Riku's eye also caught a blacked out picture of what he could only assume to be a woman._

_ "You have finally arrived here Riku." Said a voice that Riku knew all too well. His eyes finally found Xehanort's Heartless, far across the Station of Awakening, his amber eyes lit with disappointment._

_ "What do you want Xehanort?" Riku spat at the ghost in his Heart. "There's nothing we need to discuss."_

_ "You are allowing this waste of space to drive you to the edge of death, and you think there is nothing to discuss?" Xehanort's Heartless chuckled lightly. "Just like your foolish friend, you have come so far and still learned nothing."_

_ "I know a lot more than you think." Riku glared at the Heartless with burning hatred. "If you have nothing to say then let me go, I have a fight to win."_

_ "If you continue this fight like this you shall only perish in flames."_

_ "You don't know that!" Riku's fist was clenched tightly. "You think I'm the fool but you're the one who doesn't know anything!"_

_ "I understand weakness more than you." Xehanort's Heartless stepped closer to the boy. "When you're enemy knows you have a weakness, he exploits it. But when your weakness is also your greatest strength, you crush everything in your path."_

_ "You're asking me to give into the Darkness again?"_

_ "I'm telling you to stop being so foolish. You have more power than anyone in that room, this entire world. Even if Dawn energy destroys Darkness, it cannot destroy a Darkness greater than itself." He smiled at Riku. "You wish to go towards your light, I say pursue it with all haste, but if you die here than all of this has been worthless; you have become worthless."_

_ "I'm not going to become a slave of the Darkness." _

_ "You need not become a slave, become it's master. Tap in to that power you have, you shall see what I mean then."_

_ "Why are you trying to help me? You've never spoken up before." Xehanort's Heartless shrugged. "Why are you telling me to become a Warrior of Dawn?"_

_ "Dawn energy is considered to be mostly Darkness with a powerful core of light. In most cases against Darkness, the Darkness brings in the Dawn energy, then is destroyed from the inside out. With a Darkness like yours, your powers of Dawn would be phenomenal, enough to destroy worlds one day. I'm more curious to see how this hypothesis of mine plays out." Riku nodded slightly, his eyes still filled with mistrust. "Defeat this idiot quickly with your Darkness, then become either its master or become a Warrior of Dawn, I care not which you choose."_

_ "Alright, I'll win this fight, but after this I'm not going to deal with Darkness anymore." Xehanort shrugged yet again in a nonchalant way. "Send me back."_

**KH:HD**

"What in the world?" Invadii's mouth fell as Riku's eyes opened and an aura of Darkness surrounded him. The spear struck home, and fizzled and died upon impact with the aura. "How did you-"

"Before I came here, I was a true Master of Darkness." Riku said, his black aura whipping around him. "Sorry, I don't have anymore time to waste fighting you." Invadii cried out and shot another Ray of Dawn at him. "Come Guardian!" From Riku's back formed Xehanort's Guardian, its arms crossed menacingly across its chest. It quickly moved to protect its master, and as the Ray of Dawn struck it, the Guardian didn't even budge as the ray faded to nothing.

"Impossible!" Master Gaiman shouted from his place near Grand Master Asher, who's face was unreadable as the fight progressed. "There's no way a Darkness that profound could exist within a child!"

"Dawn Striker!" A golden light encased Invadii's longsword as he charged towards the Guardian and its master. The sword was caught in the massive hand of the Guardian and golden light spilled out from the blade, yet did not cut the Guardian. In one fluid motion, it snapped the blade in half and punched the Avenger in the face, sending him flying backward and crashing into the marble floor.

"Its over." The Guardian flew behind Riku and he stepped toward the slowly rising form of the Avenger. Invadii got to his feet and wrenched the halberd on his back loose and tried to rush the Keyblade Wielder. Riku simply dodged the attack and sliced it in two with his Keyblade. Invadii looked in shock as Riku delivered a powerful kick to the ribs. As Invadii crashed to the floor, Riku placed his Keyblade at his throat while gazing down with pity in his eyes.

"I submit." Invadii growled out. Riku extended a hand to his opponent, who slapped it away in disgust. "All of that 'I'm no longer a slave to the Darkness' crap really was just a lie." Riku looked away from the Avenger in shame. "You're like that damn Guardian of yours. A monster."

Before Riku could speak, he heard a shout from the end of the hall. Master Gaiman and Master Erma were both shouting at the Grand Master. "He cannot be allowed to train here Jace!" Master Erma shouted. "Look at the sheer amount of Darkness the boy was able to generate!"

"He nearly killed my best soldier!" Master Gaiman shouted, spittle flying from his mouth. "Look at all of the destruction he caused!"

"I seem to recall a time where both of you had been lost to the Darkness as well." Jace Asher's voice was calm and steady, yet his white eyes spoke volumes of disappointment. "Both of you came here looking to find a home where Darkness wouldn't consume your essence, and my father had the good graces to let both of you in. He despised the Darkness more than anything and could have killed you on the spot, yet he took you in and trained you both for however long he could. He named you Masters and told me to confide in you if I ever were to have problems.

"This young man has proved himself more worthy than ever now." Jace's blind eyes fell on Riku's form. "He has a very profound Darkness, that is true. He did not harm a single person in this room however." The two shamed Masters did take a look at the citizens sitting in their seats. Although most looked terrified, not a drop of blood had been spilled. "Your warrior nearly killed a Keyblade Wielder as well. Had the boy not summoned the Dark Guardian, the Blazing Spear may have killed him." The Avenger next to Riku huffed in annoyance, clearly wishing now he had. "Do not take that attitude with me boy." Invadii's face went white and he stood at attention. "Had you killed this boy, we would have had to face the wrath of every Keyblade Wielder in the Realm of Light, be grateful most would spare you. Be terrified that one would not."

"We made an agreement that if Riku won, he could train here." Master Gaiman said softly, his face still lined with shame.

"We did indeed. Let's not have it said that the Avengers of Dawn were liars." Master Erma agreed, turning to face Riku. "Keyblade Master Riku Asa." Riku bowed his head. "You have bested our champion and we are honored to oblige our agreement. You shall train under a Master of Dawn Magics, there are the Paladins and the Clerics. Choose wisely."

Riku grasped his chin with his thumb and forefinger and glanced at the two. _Neither one of these fools would be fit to clean your boots._ Said the Heartless in Riku's Heart.

_Two things: first of all I'm not wearing boots. _He heard an exasperated sigh in his head in response. _Second, I already know who I want to train me. _"I choose Grand Master Asher to instruct me."

Jace Asher's face was alive with joy. "Very well." The old mans smile was contagious and all of the people in the hall carried some form of a smile on their faces. "Your training shall begin now. Clear the hall!"

**KH:HD**

Once the hall had been cleared, Riku stood before Jace's throne while the blind man stared at him. Riku shifted his feet uncomfortable under the old mans gaze. "Silver hair and aquamarine eyes." Jace muttered, catching Riku's attention. "A Keyblade in hand and a Darkness like no other. My final apprentice."

"Umm..." Riku couldn't understand what the old Master of Dawn was getting at.

"Those were the last words a good friend told me before she left." Riku raised an eyebrow as Jace chuckled lightly to himself. "I always thought the girl was as crazy as she looked. She always said that Nate would send an apprentice to us for training, never knew it would be in my lifetime though." He laughed a little harder, his eyes full of mirth. "I'm so glad I could lay my eyes on you again Dawn."

"What are you talking about?" Riku was beginning to wonder if the old man had lost his mind when he saw a flash of light and in the Grand Master's grasp was a Keyblade. No, not a Keyblade. Way to Dawn was in his grasp! "How did you-"

"My father carried a Keyblade once you know," The old man's eyes wondered across the surface of the mythical weapon. "He sustained a mortal blow that in the end killed him. People like to talk about how Steven Asher, oh mighty Dawn Wielder, built this castle with his own two hands when he arrived at Dawn. The facts get so jumbled up over time. My father was born here on Dawn, and ran into a man named Nathaniel of the Key when he was 12, and Nathaniel took the boy under his wing. My father had a prowess for Dawn magic, an art of combining the Darkness and Light in his Heart to defeat creatures of evil and proved an invaluable source. When he returned to Dawn after training with Nathaniel for 20 years, he found that his family had been killed, murdered for their meager possessions. He used his mighty power to stop the worlds motion, the sun never moves because of it.

"He did build this castle, but with the help of a few people. Nathaniel returned for a short while and aided in the construction efforts, and so did my mother. My mother was a kind woman who only wished the best for people, I truly believe that without her he never would have made it as long as he did. It took 30 years to complete construction of Castle Dawn, and I was a teenager at that point. A few years after my 30th birthday, my father was called upon to enter the fray of the Keyblade War, his powers were the only thing that could stop the encroaching Darkness. He returned at the end of the war sporting one less arm and missing an eye. What remained of his arm was blackened and tainted with a Darkness like no other, he had but a few years left. When the Age of Eternal Darkness came, my father was the first target of the force of Darkness known as Dedara. He died by the hand of the creature of Darkness, but not before passing his Keyblade onto me, Everlasting Dawn. Recently, she departed from my side to find a Wielder who needed her more than I, saying she would return with the boy.

"She changed her shape for you Riku, personalized herself to your Hearts preference. You should be honored." Jace smiled as Riku called back the Way to Dawn to his grasp. "She must like you a lot then."

"What in the world are you talking about? She? Keyblade War? Your Keyblade and the Age of Eternal Darkness? What's going on here?" He pointed the blade at Jace's face.

"A new age is on the horizon, I only wish I could live to see it." He sighed deeply, smiling sadly at Riku. "Enough of these old man's ramblings however, we must begin." Jace stood then, his back hunched over from age. The old mans eyes twinkled for a split second as they landed on the blade again. "You wish to step out of the shadows and into the dawn? To become its master and to stop the ever looming darkness in your Heart?"

Riku lowered the blade slowly to his side, answering slowly. "I said before that I am looking to become a master of Dawn yes."

"Then show me your Darkness again, let me see if you even have the Light left in your body to produce a spark of Dawn!" Riku nodded his head once and allowed his aura of Darkness to flare up again, an incredible blackness that filled a space of five feet with ease, a silhouette of the young Wielder could be seen through the storm of raging Darkness. "There it is!" Jace reached out a hand toward Riku's silhouette and a small light appeared. "Do not give in to your Darkness Riku, do not let it control you. Release the storm! Fill it with your Light! What do you fight for Riku? What brings you back from the Darkness?"

"My..." Riku's voice was almost silent among the roar inside his aura. His eyes widened when he found he couldn't disperse the energy around him. All he could see was the Darkness around him and a small blip of light in the center. He shouted a word he couldn't hear through the storm and was knocked back by a wind. Riku inched backwards as he was dragged slowly from the light. He shouted again and took a step forward, only to be knocked back again away from the light. Riku realized that it wasn't a wind shoving him back, but a large black hand.

"Get out of the way!" He shouted to the massive Guardian blocking his path, and in the extremely dim light, he saw the Guardian shake its head. Riku felt the familiar weight of Way to Dawn in his grasp. "If you don't move I'll make you!" As Riku lifted his arm to slash, he was grabbed from behind and pulled back, turning his head to see the Guardian pulling him further and further back. _I should have been pulled out of my aura by now._ Riku thought as he slammed the blade into the Guardians jaw, having no effect but making his arm go numb at the impact. _It's pulling me down_. Riku's eyes widened as he saw his Station of Awakening coming up to him very fast.

He felt the impact of hard glass on his face as he was thrown head first into the platform, sliding a few inches of just his face. Quickly picking himself up and turning to face the image of Xehanort's Heartless. "I thought you said you didn't care if I became a warrior of Dawn?"

Xeharnort's Heartless gave an affronted look at the accusation. "If you had bothered to look, that Guardian is not my doing." Riku shot him a quizzical look. "That's not my Darkness, it's yours." Riku looked over at the Guardian, who's feet just touched down. Wait, feet? Riku looked shocked at the new Guardian in front of him.

It stood on par with Xeharnort's Guardian, only it possessed power legs and it's arms were thick with dark muscle. It's face was more human than beast, sporting a shadowed face that resembled Riku's, with bright yellow eyes. On its chest were two white stitching's of Keyblades, Oathkeeper and Oblivion, crossed. The mighty Guardian crossed its arms around its massive chest.

"It seems your Darkness is upset that you wish to lessen its power." The Heartless observed as Riku's Darkness nodded its head. "To gain access to your light you need to beat this beast, simple as that."

"So if you have a form, where's my Light?" The Guardian pointed towards its chest and a small light shone through. "So you're the incarnation of my Darkness and Light?" The Guardian nodded and took up its original position. "So you wanna fight then? Alright lets do this!" Riku charged the mighty Guardian and slammed his Keyblade against its face, flying back after the attack didn't phase it, and jumping back to strike it repeatedly in the chest. After none of his attacks got through he blasted it with searing black fire, which only brought a smile to beasts face.

"Charging into a fight with no idea with what you're going to do is pitiful indeed." Riku glared at the unwanted guest and shot him a rude gesture involving his middle finger. "Heads up." Riku turned to see the massive black fist smashing into his face and sending him flying, recovering in the air to land and begin a new rush at his Darkness.

"Dark Thundaga!" Bolt of black lightning struck against it and it only smiled again. It charged again and Riku managed to get a honeycomb barrier in time to divert the fist that smashed through, throwing it off just enough to send it off course. Riku took advantage of this and slashed at the Guardian, the blade bouncing off of its armor. "Why can't I hurt you?" His rage getting the better of himself as he slammed his fist into its face, hearing a sickening crunch and pain flaring from his hand. Jumping back and cradling his now injured hand, whispering curse words softly to himself.

"Isn't it obvious what needs to be done here Rik?" Said a voice from behind. Riku turned his head to the source of the new voice and saw a girl no older than 20 standing there, long golden hair tied into a pony tail that stretched down to the center of her back, her deep sea green eyes capturing Riku's for a moment. She wore a golden blouse and a pair of tight sky blue pants and high heels. "You gotta use Dawn to beat him."

"Who are you?" Riku said as he turned back to his opponent that was now standing still, arms crossed over its chest. "And what do you mean, I'm trying to beat this thing to cast Dawn."

"I see you consistently get brick walled by that Guardian. You aren't using the right attacks." The woman said as the Guardian charged at Riku yet again. "Hey Xehanort, wanna do me a favor and hold that guy off while I talk to Rik for a minute?"

"Of course you enlist my help." The Heartless grumbled as he summoned his own Guardian and ordered it to stop the charging Darkness. Xehanort's Guardian immediately moved to intercept the other Guardian, stopping it cold in its tracks. "Make it quick, I'm not going to do this forever."

The young girl ran to Riku's side and observed his broken hand. "You're so careless Rik. It's your only problem." She said as she let golden light flow from her hands and Riku's wound stitched up. "Don't let Faylinn find out I did that." She whispered quickly, her face growing nervous. "She'd have me go back to rest for at least 50 years for that."

"Who's Faylinn? What are you talking about?" Riku asked as he clenched and unclenched his hand.

"No one important." She said, giving him a cutesy grin and look over. "You're much more attractive than I first gave you credit for, I mean holy crap! You are ripped!" She reached over and pinched his arm and squealed like a young girl. "Man I sure know how to pick em!"

"Who are you?" Riku stared in shock at the attractive young woman.

"Right right right." She blushed deeply and turned away muttering "I'm so bad at introductions, come on get it together." She turned around suddenly and spread her legs to a horse stance and hands on her hips. "I'm Dawn! Nice to meet ya Rik!"

Something clicked in his head as he glanced down at his Keyblade. "Dawn? Jace mentioned a Dawn that he used to be friends with before she left to find me."

"I'm the very same! You know me better as Way to Dawn, and I must say, your grip on me is very attractive." She winked as he blushed and gave her a shocked look. "And you suck at fighting Darkness. Who uses Dark Magic against something that is Darkness, that's not a Heartless. That's your Darkness that's feeding off of your Darkness... If that makes any sense. You have to fuel your light to free it from that cage."

"I don't know how to free my light." Riku said, turning his head to see the stalemate between the two Guardians of Darkness. "My Darkness is too strong to beat head on."

"Jace asked a really good question before you came here." Dawn said as she rested her hand on his shoulder. "What do you fight for? What pulls you from the Darkness?" Riku stood stiff for a moment. "What is your light?"

"My... Friends." Riku said, and closed his eyes and their faces flooded his mind. "They always believed in me, even when I had given up hope, given into the Darkness." A roar filled the air as Riku's Dark Guardian was pushed back as the spot of light grew slightly. Riku ignored the roar and continued. "My light... It's them. All of them! They bring me back every time, and they deserve more than I give, but I swore to always protect my friends! My light!" Riku's eyes flew open and shouted. "I've got this." Xehanort's Heartless nodded appreciatively as he moved away from the raging Dark Guardian.

It roared again as it's yellow eyes found Riku's, the light shining from its chest covering the majority of its chest. "You want me to be a slave to the Darkness. I understand. That's where we've always been since Dad died. Even around others, we knew down that we were alone in the dark." The Guardian growled at Riku and took a tentative step forward. "But it's not like that anymore. We have Sora and Kairi to always be there. They are our light, and if I have to beat you to prove to you that I'm right. Then prepare to lose." It roared and charged at Riku, who closed his eyes and lifted his left hand up. "I no longer walk the path of Darkness! I now walk to road to Dawn!" Golden light appeared in the center of the Guardian as it's fist was about to connect with Riku's face. They stared one another down, then Riku plunged his hand into the golden light.

A cheer from Dawn echoed throughout the Station and a small smile from Xehanort's Heartless as one final roar ensued from the Dark Guardian that was slowly dissolving. "Excellent job Rik!" Dawn cried to Riku's back. "I knew there was a good reason I picked you."

"Why do I feel so warm inside?" He asked quietly as he stumbled a little, his face showing extreme exhaustion.

"That's your Heart accounting for all the light you have now, Darkness is cold ya know."

"Is that... So?" Riku said as he passed out flat on his face. Xehanort's Heartless laughed at the sight as Dawn rushed to his side.

"The boy has more power than I thought possible." Xehanort's Heartless observed after a few moments of laughter. "He may prove more valuable to the new era than I had anticipated, that is if they survive Xeph."

"They'll have to if things are going the way they are at this time." Dawn said, looking over Riku to see if he was injured. "At this point, we very well may see a rebirth of the Age of Eternal Darkness, and we'll definitely need Riku if we want to survive." She looked over to the Heartless and gave him a quizzical look. "How do you know so much about the new era?"

"Anyone who plays a game like this needs to know all possible outcomes." Xehanort's Heartless said, giving a mischievous smile. "And anyone who wants to win knows how to play the game effectively. Send him back."

**KH:HD**

"Grand Master!" Said the panicked voice of Invadii of Light as he stared into the black void that all but covered half of the entrance all. "Shouldn't we do something about this?"

"Is Rik okay?" Lizzy shouted from behind her would-be brothers leg, looking horrified at the mass of swirling black Darkness.

"I have a feeling Riku is just fine, he's just progressing further than I expected in such a short amount of time." Jace said, his eyes clouded over with golden light. "He's already reaching the stages masters must face."

"He's combating his Darkness?" Invadii asked, his face lined with worry. "But he can't even cast simple Dawn Magic yet, how can he hope to match a Darkness like that?"

The old man smiled as he saw Riku's light grow ever so slightly. "He has help, help from an old friend of mine."

"Well well well, it appears my old apprentice is subdued for the moment." Said a sinister voice from across the hall. In a blaze of green flames, Maleficent appeared, her green eyes alight with madness. "What a delightful predicament. This will prove very good to Xeph when I bring him the head of Riku Asa."

"Who are you?" Invadii shouted as he drew the longsword from his belt, grabbing his shield with his left hand. "What do you want with Riku?"

"Ah Maleficent." Jace said as he suddenly remembered the name. "You're the Witch who attempted to take over the Realm of Light and was stopped by the Chosen Wielder. What grounds do you believe you can enter my castle and threaten my apprentice?"

"Under the grounds that I plan to eradicate your silly little castle and all of those on this world." Jace's face was cold then, his normally happy face clouded by anger. "What do you intend to do to stop you you senile old fool?"

"You've taken this to far Maleficent. The day this castle falls is the day the Seven Spirits destroy it." Jace's hands glowed a deep gold for a moment. "If you can best me, then you can best anyone in this castle."

"With pleasure." Maleficent charged a green fireball above her head when the force of pitch black Darkness became a torrent of gold light with Riku at it's core. "What is he doing?"

"Incredible." Invadii said breathlessly, his eyes wide with wonder. "He's ascended to a masters level."

"So pretty." Lizzy said with awe as she gazed into the golden light. "It's like staring into the sun, only it doesn't hurt my eyes."

"Maleficent." Riku's voice rang clear as the aura of Dawn faded and reviled Riku in a new set of clothes. He wore a black vest with a gold shirt underneath, his jeans were now a darker shape as well, almost black with seams that were red. He also wore fingerless gloves with Oathkeeper and Oblivion crossed on the backs. He wore shoes that resembled Sora's, only not overly large. He crossed his arms across his chest as he glared at the witch. "You came for me right? Well here I am. If you want my head, come and get it."

"You believe for even a moment that you can face me and live?" Maleficent asked, her smile growing. "I'll destroy you in an instant!" She flung the massive green fireball at her old apprentice, who raised his hand and golden light manifested itself into a great barrier. The fireball didn't even make the barrier shimmer for all the good it did. "So you've learned how to use the Dawn have you?"

"You're just catching on aren't you? I always knew you were an idiot." Maleficent scowled as Riku summoned Way to Dawn to his grasp. "Allow me to demonstrate. Ray of Dawn!" His left hand glowed with golden light as the beam of condensed Dawn collided with Maleficent's barrier, which crumbled and the beam sliced through her shoulder, bringing a cry of pain to her lips. "I owe knowing how to do that by observing Invadii over there." Riku flashed the Avenger a smile.

"Insolent fool!" Maleficent shouted at the Keyblade Master. "You dare to think yourself greater than me?"

"I don't think, I know I'm stronger than you. I'm done with you and the Darkness, I know which is stronger now. Light always surpasses Darkness. And I'm what's in between, I am the Dawn!"

"If you believe yourself so mighty. Then try and defeat one of my new Heartless!" As she finished her sentence, a massive Heartless sprung up from the ground. It stood 10 feet tall and had massive horns that allowed an extra three feet to its height, it's face looked like a beasts and had blood red eyes with pupils of yellow. It's was as wide a bus, taking up six feet in width of all muscle, two large black wings on its back that had a wing span of 12 feet. The Heartless insignia on it's massive chest.

Riku's eyebrows shot up at the sight of the gigantic Heartless and his jaw fell slightly. "These are my Deamon Heartless. Please do enjoy yourself Riku." Maleficent cackled as she vanished from the world and the Deamon Heartless roared with a challenge to Riku.

"Invadii, get them-" Before Riku could finish, the Deamon moved faster than something of its size should be allowed to move and sent the Wielder flying with a punch to the chest. "Out of here." Riku wheezed as he landed on the hard marble floor. He was about to move to get up when the Deamons foot stomped him further into the floor. "For the love of-" Riku managed to get up a barrier of Dawn before the Deamons foot could stomp on him again. "Forget what I said before, get this thing off of me!"

"Shining Sun Blast!" Shouted Invadii and a blast of golden light blew the Deamon Heartless away from Riku. "If anyone here is going to beat Riku. It's me!" Riku shot up from the small crater he was in and charged his blade with Dawn energy as Invadii rushed in doing the same.

"Dawn Striker!" The two teens shouted as their blades cleaved into the massive chest of the Deamon. Dawn energy flooded the across the long gashes across its chest, allowing another roar to ensue.

"Hey Riku," Invadii began as he summoned a large golden spear appeared in place of his sword. "Check this out. Blazing Spear!" As he threw the golden spear, flames rippled up and down its shaft as it pierced the Deamons body.

"Not bad, not bad." Riku smiled as he allowed his left hand to glow with Dawn energy. "But watch this. Fist of the Golden God!" His fist shot out and a large golden hand flew out and struck the Heartless sending it flying back. "Not bad for a rookie huh?"

"Grand Master..." Said Lizzy as she stood behind the old man who was smiling at the two Warriors of Dawn. "I'm scared."

"You are a very smart girl to be afraid, you've seen a lot in a short amount of time." The old man looked down at the young girl. "These two are not in any danger however, both are incredibly skilled and are merely testing their strengths, it was very fortunate Maleficent donated a Heartless to experiment on."

"You ready Riku?" Invadii asked as they grinned at the nearly beaten Heartless.

"Think you can keep up with me?" Riku asked as they bumped fists and charged up golden energy. "So I do it like this?"

"You're a natural, just let it flow out a little more and don't tense up." Riku nodded as the two pointed their left hands at the Deamon.

"Golden."

"Dawn!"

**"Barrage!" **Thousands of orbs of shining golden light flew from the duo's hands, flying and colliding with the massive Heartless."Finish it Riku!"

"You got it!" Riku jumped high into the air, his Keyblade charged with Dawns light. "Dawn Slicer!" He swung the Keyblade and a wave of Dawn energy flew at the Heartless, slicing the creature in half with ease. A roar of defeat left its jaws as it faded into nothing, a shining blue Heart flouted out of the decaying corpse.

"Riku! Invadii!" Said the excited voice of Lizzy as she ran towards the two teens. Invadii looked fresh and ready to go, yet Riku looked as if he was going to collapse at any second. "You two are the best!" She ran and tackled herself against Invadii's legs and after a brief hug did the same to Riku, who fell over from the contact. "Rik?" She asked worriedly as he stared up at the ceiling. "You okay?"

"Fighting what is essentially the equivalent of two boss fights in one day does wonders for making people want to pass out."

"I'm very proud of the two of you. Excellent work." Said Jace Asher as he moved to Riku's side, smiling lightly at the two. "You have two weeks of training with me. Rest up Riku Asa, you are most certainly going to need it."

**KH:HD  
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Riku stood at attention at the stairs beneath Jace's throne, his face an emotionless mask. In the chamber were Invadii, Lizzy, Master Gaiman, Master Erma, and Grand Master Jace Asher. Two weeks had gone by relatively quick for the Keyblade Master, rising at 4 in the morning to learn Dawn Magic with Jace until 7 am where he trained with the paladin order. 11 am was a quick lunch then it was back to Dawn Magic training with the Grand Master. At 5 pm, Riku would train with the clerics for defensive spells and healing purposes of Dawn energy. He was supposed to be in bed at 9 pm to rest up for the next day, but he would let his body and mind rest while he dove inside his Heart for some conversations with his Keyblade spirit.

At first the overload of work had been a lot for Riku to deal with, but when his body adjusted to the new training regime, it came as simple as breathing. "Your two weeks here have increased your knowledge and power by leaps and bounds, and your presence has given the men a moral boost like none before." Jace said as he smiled down at the Wielder of Dawn. "I am proud to call you my apprentice."

Riku bowed deeply at the compliment. Behind him, the two double doors shone bright with light and opened to revile Nathaniel, Sora, and Kairi. Riku turned to his friends and noticed their new attire.

Sora was not in his usual black clothing, it was now a deep crimson that looked familiar to the valor form, only a shade darker. On his gloves were the same stitched Keyblades that Riku himself possessed.

Kairi was now dressed in a sky blue shirt that had a small breast plate hanging from just above her breasts to just below her ribs, a crown with a heart carved in the middle shining in the center of the breast plate. She also wore a silver plate skirt that hung down to the middle of her thigh, a pair of deep pink leggings covered everything down to her knees. She also wore a heart shaped pendant around her neck. She also wore fingerless gloves with the same design as his own and Sora's.

The couple ran to embrace their friend, who hugged them both in turn. "It's been a while you two. Glad to see I wasn't the only one to get some new duds."

"Nice look Riku, it's very dark and mysterious." Kairi joked as she punched his shoulder with surprising strength, causing Riku to wince in pain.

"Yeah I was a little surprised too." Sora said as he punched Riku's other shoulder, causing the silver haired teen to wince again. "We've both improved a lot in two weeks."

"Hey me too." Riku punched both of their shoulders and they both nearly fell back. They all laughed for a moment before Riku motioned to the group behind him. "These are the people who've been helping me since I got here. Meet Invadii of Light, Lizzy Shozu, Master Salvador Gaiman, Master Erica Erma, and Grand Master Jace Asher."

Most nodded or bowed in the direction of the Wielders, but Lizzy ran up to examine Kairi and Sora. "Hey Rik, I thought you said Sora was a big idiot? He looks really cool!" Sora looked at Riku with mocked shock as Lizzy looked over to Kairi. "And she's even prettier than you said Rik."

"Aww." Kairi said as she leaned over to the girls level. "You're really pretty too, and Sora is as big an idiot as Riku said, he's just my idiot." They laughed as Sora placed a hand over his heart and asked what he did to deserve that.

"Alright kids, settle down." Said the joyful voice of Nathaniel of the Key. They all turned as he walked over to Jace Asher and patted the old mans shoulder. "You don't look a day over 100 Jace." This brought laughter to the old mans lips. "Sorry to force an apprentice onto you, but I'm very appreciative that you trained him. You have my gratitude."

"It was no trouble my old friend." Jace said as he gazed up at the immortal. "You look the same as ever by the way." Nathaniel snorted back laughter and turned to leave.

"Aww Rik are you sure you have to go?" Lizzy pouted at Riku, putting on her most adorable face. "You sure you can't stay here?"

Riku laughed and mussed up her hair like he always did. "I'm sorry Liz, but I'll be back to visit you and old knuckle-head over there. That's a promise, and remember, I don't break my promises."

"Right." She hugged him tight and tears slipped down her face. "Don't forget, you have to come back, you promised and you don't break promises."

"Well Riku, it's been fun, but you do have to come back so I can kick your sorry butt one of these days." Invadii said as he bumped fists with Riku. "You're not allowed to die while you're out there, only I can beat you. Swear to me you guys won't lose."

"I swear." Riku said, then turned to the three Masters of Dawn. "Thank you all for everything you've done for me, I promise to not let these skills go to waste."

"It was out pleasure Riku." Jace said, bowing his head to his apprentice. "Remember, you're journey is difficult and will bring much pain, but you are the shining star that brings light to all of those who cower in shadows. You will always have a home here, Master Riku of Dawn."

Riku nodded and turned to leave with his friends, Nathaniel opening the door to the In-Between. "Where to next?" Riku asked as they entered the brightly lit hall.

"Well we need a new Gummi Ship, so we're traveling to Radiant Garden to ask Cid for help." Sora said, smiling over at his best friend. "How'd your training go Rik?"

"Yeah _Rik_." Kairi taunted, giggling at the nickname. "How was training with those guys?"

"Eh, nothing terribly exciting happened."

**Hello hello hello readers! I'm late as always, but hey, you've come to expect this from me by now haven't you? If you're new here, expect me to be late 99% of the time. Any who, this chapter was an absolute thrill to write! I loved every moment of writing this, it was so much fun to get to introduce new characters and Riku's Keyblade Spirit. Too much fun.**

**In other news, I have been admitted to my states university and am incredibly busy with classes, so I will try my damnedest to get chapters out quickly and make them presentable for you, my loyal and avid readers. Thank you guys so much for reading, reviewing, following this story and all of that other fun stuff. It means so much to me that I actually get readers as awesome as you guys. If you guys want more fun with me, go to my facebook page and click like, the link is in my profile. Once I get a few more likes, I'll be consistently updating on a weekly basis or when I feel like updating. It'd mean so much to me.**

**Alright guys, I should stop rambling and get to the part you all actually enjoy. Preview time!**

**We've heard about the Legion, we've seen Riku become a Warrior of Dawn, but what about the two separated lovers? What forms of training did they go through in the two weeks they had?**

**Find out on the conclusion to the Fruits of Training: Light! **

"_**I'll win, I'll win for them, not for myself. I'll win because I have too!"**_

**Sora Hikari.**

"_**Beat me down and I'll keep getting up. I'm not some fragile little girl, I'm a Keyblade Wielder! So give me your worst, I'll take it all and dish it right back at you!"**_

**Princess Kairi Haru.**

**The Doctor, Signing Off.**


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